Yahoo Sports Report: Vikings RB Dalvin Cook to miss several games with dislocated shoulder, torn labrum
When Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook was carted off the field during Sunday's 34-26 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, there was a fear that he might have to miss the rest of the season due to his shoulder injuries.
Monday brought positive news for Cook, the Vikings, and their fans. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Cook won't miss the whole season, and instead will miss "a few games" with a dislocated shoulder and labrum tear.
#Vikings RB Dalvin Cook tore his labrum while dislocating his shoulder yesterday, sources said the MRI revealed. But the ailment is not season-ending. The hope is this is like 2019, when the team rests Cook a few games to have him healthy for a playoff run.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 29, 2021
"A few games" is just an estimate. Rapoport reported that the MRI Cook had on Monday showed shoulder damage, so there's no timetable for his return. He also implied that the Vikings are going to use the same strategy as they did for Cook's 2019 injury.
Dalvin Cook missed the last two games of 2019 after a similar injury. Vikings opted against going for home-field advantage, choosing to have Cook healthy to beat the #Saints in the Wild Card round. In that game, Cook had 130 yards and 2 TDs post injury. https://t.co/5sAgb3dfbz
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 29, 2021
With Cook's recovery timetable still unknown, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the team is still debating whether to put him on injured reserve, which would shut him down for a minimum of three games.
Vikings’ RB Dalvin Cook dislocated his shoulder during Sunday’s loss at SF, per source. The team still is figuring out how long Cook will be sidelined, and an indication will come from whether or not it places him on injured reserve; IR would sideline him a minimum of three weeks
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 29, 2021
The Vikings are currently 5-6 and in the position to grab the seventh and final NFC playoff spot, but there's still a lot of football left. If they place Cook on IR, he won't be back until Week 16 at the earliest, when the Vikings play the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 26. If they opt to keep him off IR, he could be back whenever, but the assumption is that he'd miss two games and return on Dec. 20 when the Vikings face the Chicago Bears.
In the meantime, the Vikings will definitely miss Cook. He has 171 carries for 773 yards and four touchdowns this season, plus 27 receptions for 202 yards. In his absence, the Vikings will likely turn to Alexander Mattison, who replaced Cook on Sunday, and rookie Kene Nwangwu , who has mainly been a special teams guy this season.
