Dalvin Cook has played 15 games since the Vikings made him the 41st overall choice in 2017. He has missed 17 games with injuries.
The Vikings running back tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee early in his rookie season. He missed five games with a hamstring injury last season.
Now fully healthy, Cook is working on staying that way.
“Get back to being me,” Cook said, via video from the team. “Everything’s back on schedule. No more rehab. It’s just great. Get bigger. Get stronger. Get faster. Learn the game more. Lead the group. And just be me. Don’t try to be nobody else but be me. The ceiling is real high for me. Everything that I want is still in front of me. Everything that I can do is still in front of me. I’m capable of doing a lot of things, and I still haven’t scratched the surface yet. It’s just so funny because right now I’m just working on being out there for a full season. That’s the thing for me. It’s all about durability and being accountable for my teammates. That’s the thing I’ve been working on all offseason, working on all the little things and getting that done. I’m just excited about being back and being back to myself.”
Cook has 258 touches for 1,364 yards and six touchdowns in his two seasons. He and the Vikings are looking for more out of him this season, especially with Latavius Murray having signed with the Saints as a free agent.
“He passed the torch down,” Cook said, “and now it’s time to run with it.”