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Cook could see more targets under new head coach Kevin O'Connell, NFL.com's Kevin Patra reports.
Cook doesn't exactly have reliable hands -- he's dropped 20 passes over the past four seasons -- but he knows where to be and is one of the toughest players to tackle in the league. He's thus been able to post strong receiving efficiency numbers by RB standards (career 8.2 YPR, 6.5 YPT, 78.8 percent catch rate) in addition to his excellent work on the ground (4.5 YPC or better every season). O'Connell's background with the Rams has many predicting that the Vikings will throw more passes this season, especially after WR Justin Jefferson told reporters the offense isn't run-first anymore. Cook still will be a focal point, of course, perhaps trading some carries for targets and likely experiencing positive TD regression after scoring only six from 1,383 yards from scrimmage last year. The biggest question, per usual, is how many games he'll play, as he's missed multiple contests every season and has suited up for only 69 percent of the Vikings' regular-season games since they drafted him in 2017. From a per-game standpoint, he looks solid as an RB1.
