With Dalvin Cook questionable on the Friday injury report, the Vikings still had hope that their star running back would be ready for the home opener in Week 3.
Now, that hope is dwindling. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, it was unlikely that Cook was going to play heading into pregame warmups today. Cook suffered a sprained ankle in Week 2 that has left him sidelined from practice this week.
Operating under the assumption that the Vikings will not have Cook, the team will have to utilize Alexander Mattison and Ameer Abdullah. Mattison is a similar running back to Cook stylistically, while Abdullah offers more in the receiving game.
As the week progressed, there was a less confident tone that Vikings RB Dalvin Cook would play Sunday vs. Seattle due to his sprained ankle, per source. Cook didn’t practice all week, it’s early in season, and going into pre-game warmups it was considered “unlikely” he plays.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 26, 2021
Minnesota signed Abdullah to the active roster this week. The Vikings waived OT Blake Brandel in the process of signing Abdullah. Minnesota elevated G Dakota Dozier and CB Parry Nickerson, too. In hindsight, it may have been a good call to elevate A.J. Rose for more running back depth. We’ll see if a lack of depth comes into play at all on Sunday.