Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be running backs.
It’s a tough business. All the physical punishment and none of the premier earning potential of other positions in the sport. The Minnesota Vikings’ decision to release Dalvin Cook is a sad reminder of how tough it is to be a running back in the modern NFL.
Cook is only 27 years old, and has tallied 6,423 yards from scrimmage over the past four seasons. That’s nothing to scoff at.
Over the past two weeks, I highlighted position groups that were hit with key departures this offseason, and how we can expect them to fare this season without the key player in question. I wrote about my optimism for the wide receivers despite losing Adam Thielen, and my concern for the defensive line sans Za’Darius Smith.
Dalvin Cook was Minnesota’s offensive focal point for most of his career, and he still put up solid numbers last season despite sliding back as a secondary threat compared to Justin Jefferson. Cook proved he’s still got plenty of juice in open space, though he never seemed to gel as a runner in Kevin O’Connell’s offense. Particularly in between the tackles, Cook seemed to go down too quickly at first contact, which was out of character for him in his career. But if his agent is to be believed, then struggling with a bum shoulder for most of the season may have made him more timid playing through contact, leading to some of the inconsistency in his game.
But as we look ahead, there’s reason for optimism. Minnesota’s stable of running backs may not be littered with guys I’d take with my first-round pick in fantasy this year, but there’s a diverse skillset spread among interesting talent that could prove more successful than the doubters think.
Among the million things Alexander Mattison hasn’t done, one of them is show any elite traits as a lead back. Maybe we won’t need to wait much longer, though? If that potential is there, he’ll certainly have every opportunity to show us this season. But while everything out of TCO Performance Center these days about Mattison is glowing praise, that may be “new girlfriend syndrome” at play here.
In his career, Mattison has shown that he has the frame to stand up to punishment. He can produce at a steady pace when the Vikings have made him a lead back. He’s got decent hands, making him a safe check-down option in the passing game. And he’s got good physicality as an interior runner.
What he lacks is the big play. Mattison has average speed for the position, and he doesn’t have the elite juice to get around the edge on outside runs. He’s the type of runner who gets exactly what the play design and blocking provides for him, then maybe tacks on a few extra yards with moxie at the end. But to expect plays like Cook’s 81 yarder to spark the comeback in Buffalo last season out of Mattison simply aren’t fair to him.
But maybe that’s where the rest of the committee can round things out.
Make no mistake, Ty Chandler, DeWayne McBride, and Kene Nwangwu are all largely unproven commodities in the NFL. Nwangwu has shown elite traits on special teams but has yet to figure out how to crack the lineup as a running back. McBride is coming off an injury that is going to hold him back during most of the offseason program, and he’s a total unknown as a pass catcher. Ty Chandler has size concerns and needs to get much faster at reading his blocks at the NFL level.
But there are skill sets that should get Vikings fans excited if these young runners can figure things out.
Ty Chandler turned some heads last preseason. He’s got nice speed and acceleration, and has a creative knack for weaving through defenders in traffic. You can see in the breakdown below from Brian Baldinger last preseason highlighting some of Chandler’s key plays. He’s does a nice job of changing direction at the line of scrimmage, and he never allows a defender to square him up head on.
Chandler also showed a nice receiving profile in college that should translate nicely to this level with more opportunities. He’s got soft hands and the ability to take it for big gains on wheels and angle routes out of the backfield.
And as a true runner, McBride may end up being the best one on the team by season’s end. McBride was an absolute bruiser, the driving force on a bad UAB offense in college. And despite being one of the only real threats on the field, he routinely found ways to succeed against opposing defenses.
He runs like he’s paid by the yard and rent is due Monday, and I love that about him.
That kind of tenacity translates. McBride will need to adjust from the level of athleticism he saw in Conference USA as opposed to the NFL, but he’s got impressive buildup speed and a whole lot of gumption. Unfortunately, McBride also caught the ball a whopping two times for the Blazers in 2022. Whether that’s a product of UAB’s terrible passing offense, or his own deficiency is yet to be seen. But either way, I wouldn’t expect him on the field in third-down situations anytime soon.
Still, he’s just too fun to stay off the field for too long.
Dalvin Cook was a bonafide superstar and workhorse during an era where that was counter cultural in the NFL, and he’ll certainly be missed. He wasn’t the same player last season, but even 2022’s version of Cook will leave a tremendous void to fill.
But while one man may not be enough, the combo may surprise us. Ty Chandler could be the explosive lightning to match Alexander Mattison’s consistency. And if DeWayne McBride can return from injury and play at full strength, his style of play will warrant carries late in games against worn out defenses.
You’ll be missed Dalvin, but I’m excited to see what the new kids have in store for us.
