Vikings Make Emergency Signing After RB Dalvin Cook Sidelined

The Minnesota Vikings will be forced to square off with the Los Angeles Rams Sunday without Pro-Bowl running back Dalvin Cook.

The team on December 23 designated Cook to the reserve/COVID-19 list following a positive test. Cook is unvaccinated and must miss a mandatory 10 days. In response, the Vikings re-signed a running back with whom they parted ways just two days before.

Chris Tomasson, of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, took to Twitter Thursday afternoon with details of the move.

“#Vikings win another player battle with Jets. After practice squad RB AJ Rose released by Vikings Wednesday he flew to NY with hopes of signing to Jets practice squad,” Tomasson wrote. “But when Vikings learned this morning of Dalvin Cook situation he flew back to Minnesota to re-sign with Vikings.”

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Rose, a rookie out of the University of Kentucky, had a solid preseason for the Vikings. But fellow first-year running back Kene Nwangwu, Minnesota’s fourth-round selection out of Iowa State University in the 2021 NFL Draft, beat Rose out for the third-string spot on the team’s 53-man roster.

Then, on December 14, the Vikings signed former New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons running back Wayne Gallman Jr., which appeared to spell the end for Rose in Minneapolis. But fate, in the form of a positive coronavirus test for Cook, had other plans.

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Backup RB Alexander Mattison Returns from Reserve List

The timing of Cook’s positive test can be looked at as either terrible or fortuitous, depending on which perspective one chooses to assume.

It’s terrible because the Vikings are riding a two-game win streak and a renewed hope of a postseason berth. Minnesota (7-7) is currently in second place in the NFC North Division behind the conference-leading Green Bay Packers (11-3) and would be the last team in as the 7th seed if the playoffs started today.

The Vikings host a tough Rams team (10-4) Sunday that is in a three-way tie for second place in the NFC with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Arizona Cardinals. The loss of Cook for the pivotal matchup looms potentially large, as both the Philadelphia Eagles and the New Orleans Saints are currently 7-7 and on the outside looking in. The Eagles play a home game against the depleted New York Giants Sunday, while the Saints host the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football.

The fortuitous spin on the situation is that backup running back Alexander Mattison returned from the reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday, just 24 hours before Cook went out. He was also unvaccinated and forced to sit out 10 days, per NFL virus protocol.

Mattison has been a reliable replacement for Cook this season, amassing 432 rushing yards and 2 TDs over 13 game appearances, including three starts. He has also caught 24 passes for a total of 183 receiving yards and 1 TD, per ESPN statistics.

Based on the current depth chart, Mattison will step into Cook’s role as the starter while Nwangwu will back him up. Gallman will be the third option and Rose will round out the position group as the fourth-string running back.

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Cook Having Another Great Season

Cook this week was selected to the Pro-Bowl for the third consecutive year. He leads the NFC in rushing with 1,067 yards, despite missing three games already to this point, and has found the end zone on six occasions. Cook has also totaled 221 receiving yards on 30 receptions, per ESPN.

The Rams are now 3.5-point favorites over the Vikings, per odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, despite Minnesota’s home field advantage and otherwise potent offense led by quarterback Kirk Cousins and wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Wideout Adam Thielen remains questionable for the game with a lingering ankle injury, meaning the running game will be that much more important.

In other words, Mattison and company have their work cut out for them.

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