What will the Vikings' running back situation look like without Dalvin Cook?
MINNEAPOLIS -- With the Minnesota Vikings reportedly looking to move on from star running back Dalvin Cook, what will the team's running back situation look like this season?
Currently, the Vikings have four running backs on the roster not counting Cook. That could change by the start of the season depending on what direction the team wants to go.
Let's take a look at the running back room post-Cook:
Alexander Mattison
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 215 pounds
Age: 24
College: Boise State
Mattison will likely be the No. 1 running back with Cook gone.
Mattison, who re-signed with the team during the offseason, has been a solid backup to Cook over four seasons with the team.
When asked to fill in for Cook, Mattison averaged 4.1 career yards per carry and secured 70 of 84 targets for 576 yards. Last season, Mattison scored five touchdowns, which is the most he's found the endzone since entering the league.
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It will be interesting to see just how many carries Mattison gets if the team moves to a more "running back by committee"-style offense.
Ty Chandler
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 204 pounds
Age: 25
College: North Carolina
While Mattison is favored to win the No. 1 spot, Chandler is one of the new regime's picks and is poised to have more of a role this coming season.
The Vikings selected him in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Chandler had four productive seasons at Tennessee, where he led the team in rushing in both 2018 and 2019, before transferring to North Carolina.
He didn't get much action last season - only six carries for 20 yards - but he could take over Mattison's old role as the No. 2 running back this coming season.
DeWayne McBride
Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 209 pounds
Age: 21
College: UAB
Although selected in the last round of the 2023 NFL Draft, McBride has been seen by many as a potential "sleeper" in the draft. Much of it has to do with his ability to force missed tackles.
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He finished the 2022 season second in the nation in rushing touchdowns (19) and was rated at the No. 5 running back in the 2023 draft class.
McBride will likely see plenty of action in the preseason, and maybe even sneak into the rotation during the regular season. One of the bigger questions surrounding his play is his pass-catching ability, which he wasn't asked to do much of in college.
Kene Nwangwu
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 210 pounds
Age: 25
College: Iowa State
Like Mattison, Nwangwu is a running back selected by the previous regime. But unlike Mattison, he's seen very little action as a running back.
Nwangwu has been mostly contributing as a kick returner -- where he's certainly excelled -- but it does call into question his future with the team based on the NFL's new kickoff rule.
Under the refined regulations, kick returners can now signal for a fair catch anywhere inside their own 25-yard line, resulting in a touchback that starts the ensuing possession at the 25.
The changes are not yet permanent, but could mean the team has less of a priority for a dynamic kick returner.
Still, Nwangwu is fast. He was unofficially recorded as running a 4.29 40-yard dash at his college pro day. Makes sense that he was a standout in track and field as a high schooler.
