In offseason workouts this spring, the Vikings experimented with a new role for running back Dalvin Cook, lining him up out wide and in the slot frequently enough to suggest his sixth season in Minnesota would look different than any of his first five.
The Vikings ran their offense through Cook, as often as he was on the field, for most of his five years under former coach Mike Zimmer. That was especially true from 2019-21, when the Vikings built their offense around Gary Kubiak's wide zone scheme that put Kirk Cousins under center and frequently had Cook eight yards deep in the backfield.