Pros and Cons of the Vikings keeping Dalvin Cook for 2023

Dalvin Cook
Dalvin Cook / Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
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Pros and Cons of the Minnesota Vikings keeping Dalvin Cook

Con No. 2: Gambling on a feature back

Today's NFL is an interesting place that is seeing a lot of teams move away from the concept of a high-priced featured running back. Guys like Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott and Buccaneers rusher Leonard Fournette are both still free agents after previously being stars in the league.

Putting so much faith in one player at a position to stay healthy and productive is a huge risk, especially if that player is eating up a healthy chunk of the team's salary cap for the season and they end up on injured reserve.

2022 was the first season that Cook didn't miss a regular season game. Even with that, he was nursing a shoulder injujry throughout the season that forced him to wear a harness through many of the team's games.

Since the Vikings are under new management, a transition to a more economically smart model seems to be the direction of the franchise. With that, investing so much in Cook would be an interesting move for a team in transition.