Minnesota Vikings Rookie Running Back Dalvin Cook Out for the Season With Torn ACL
Dalvin Cook's rookie season with the Minnesota Vikings has officially ended after only four games.
The former Florida State standout underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan on Monday to determine the extent of the knee injury he sustained during their 14–7 defeat to the Detroit Lions this past Sunday. Unfortunately, their worst fears were confirmed.
The Vikings have announced that Cook has a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee and he's expected to miss the remainder of the season.
"He does have a torn ACL, and we'll move forward from there," Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said, via the team's official website.
"He's a great kid, [I'm] extremely impressed with everything he's done to this point. It's obviously a terrible thing for him and us. We'll move forward and go from there. He's a great worker, and I have no doubt that he'll come back," he continued.
"On most of these ACLs, there's a little bit of cartilage [damage], I think meniscus, but it's nothing. It's the normal, typical ACL," he added.
Cook injured his knee in the third quarter of Sunday's game as he was attempting to make a cut to the right to get away from Lions safety Tavon Wilson. His left knee suddenly gave out on that play and he immediately reached down toward his knee.
With Cook sidelined for the rest of the year, Latavius Murray should see an increase in workload in the coming weeks. He has had a limited role in the offense thus far.
The veteran running back signed a three-year, $15-million contract to join the Vikings this offseason, but he missed all of the offseason workouts after he underwent ankle surgery in March. The team already knew that he needed the surgery before they signed him so that wasn't a problem.
Jerick McKinnon should get more touches as well moving forward.
