An offseason of speculation may be about to become reality for the Minnesota Vikings and running back Dalvin Cook, and either way it turns out, the outcome likely will affect former UAB standout DeWayne McBride.
Cook has run off four consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons for the Vikings. Since 2019, Cook has run for 5,204 yards and 43 touchdowns on 1,075 carries and caught 170 passes for 1,399 yards and three touchdowns.
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But Cook will count $14.1 million against Minnesota’s salary cap for the 2023 season, the third largest cap number in the NFL for a running back.
Releasing Cook now would reduce the cap hit by almost $6 million. Trading him now would cut it by almost $8 million. Releasing him after Thursday would lessen it by $9 million and trading him after Thursday would decrease it by $11 million. The latter option would virtually double Minnesota’s cap space for 2023.
The predictions have been that the Vikings would release or trade Cook if isn’t willing to play on a more team-friendly contract, an idea that gained reinforcement when Minnesota signed his backup for the past four seasons, Alexander Mattison, to a two-year, $7 million contract to keep him out of free agency in March.
Mattison has run for 1,670 yards and 11 touchdowns on 404 carries while backing up Cook.
The other two running backs on the Vikings roster don’t have much more experience than McBride, who joined Minnesota in the seventh round of the NFL Draft on April 29.
Ty Chandler gained 20 yards on six carries as a fifth-round rookie in 2022. Kene Nwangwu had nine carries for 15 yards last season while working as the Vikings’ kickoff returner.
Minnesota is in Phase 3 of its offseason program, when teams are allowed to conduct 10 days of organized team practice activity, often referred to as OTAs. The Vikings held their first three OTA practices this week.
Cook has not participated in Minnesota’s offseason program, but attendance is voluntary.
A mandatory minicamp also can be held during Phase 3, which the Vikings have scheduled for June 13-14. Players who miss mandatory minicamp can be fined at the team’s discretion.
With Minnesota short one running back for its offseason work, McBride said last week he had tried make the most of his opportunities.
“I’m actually just coming in and being consistent and showing what I can do,” McBride said. “Only time will tell. I’m going to try to get on special teams and work my way up and go from there.”
The Vikings added McBride after he ran for 1,713 yards and 19 touchdowns on 233 carries for UAB last season. He averaged 15 more rushing yards per game than any other NCAA FBS player in the 2022 season.
Although McBride caught only five passes for 29 yards during his three seasons with the Blazers, Minnesota didn’t let that keep them from picking him.
“He was somebody we had fairly high up on our board, kind of a starter grade,” Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said. “Somebody that obviously carried the ball a lot. Was really productive.
“I think a lot of times in college the running backs aren’t used in the passing game, so maybe there were some questions on his ability. But (Minnesota running-backs) coach (Curtis) Modkins has been doing this a long time and has coached some really good ones, and he kind of knows what to look for in those limited opportunities when you get a chance, and he’s super connected with running-back coaches, so we got some good intel that he has more pass-game value than he showed.
“I think there were some ball-security issues at times, but other than that, really good contact balance, super productive, ability to create at the line of scrimmage but also to turn a good run into a great run, so we’re really excited to add him.”
Before the draft, Adofo-Mensah said, “Conversations are ongoing, and we try to be solutions-oriented,” when asked about the situations with Cook and outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith, another Pro Bowler with a big salary-cap number.
A Greenville High School alumnus, Smith asked to be released. Minnesota traded him to the Cleveland Browns earlier this month.
McBride was one of 30 prospects that the Vikings brought to Minnesota for a visit before the draft. A Florida native, McBride said he didn’t expect the change in climate to bother him now that he’s a member of the team.
“I’m ready for the cold,” McBride said. “I got a little tease up from Birmingham.”
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
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