The Vikings finished the 2020 season with the eighth-most rushing attempts. With running backs Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison back for another year, it seems a given that Minnesota will run the ball quite often in 2021.
But the Vikings have done more than just hand the ball off to Cook during training camp. According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, the team has deployed the wildcat offense at times this offseason, with Cook taking direct snaps.
The wildcat took the NFL by storm when the Dolphins upset the Patriots in 2008. The offense can be a creative way for a run-oriented team to make plays. And the occasional pass out of the wildcat can confuse even the most stout defenses in the league.
Cronin reported that she has seen the Vikings use the wildcat twice during training camp. Maybe Minnesota will do it in a game in 2021.