Dalvin Cook is issuing a challenge to young Minnesota Vikings players.
The Vikings are coming off of a superb season. They pulled off a major upset in the playoffs by defeating the NFC powerhouse New Orleans Saints.
However, they lost a plethora of talent. In fact, they lost key names such as Xavier Rhodes, Linval Joseph and Everson Griffen. That's not even including several other notable players, such as Mackensie Alexander and Stephen Weatherly.
Oh, and of course, star wide receiver Stefon Diggs departed due to being traded.
Despite the massive turnover in roster personnel, Cook isn't backing down on his expectations of the 2020 Vikings. He says younger guys need to step up:
“Now, it’s time for some of the younger guys to step up and time for us to go out here and still be contenders,” Cook said, via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “I was close to a lot of those guys but that’s part of the business, and you’ve got to move forward. I just think the Vikings, we’ve just got to come together and I think we’ll still be contenders at the end of the day. It’s just going to be some new faces that you’ve got to get used to.”
The Vikings will look to earn back-to-back postseason bids for the first time since the 2008 and 2009 seasons. While they certainly possess the offensive talent in Kirk Cousins and Cook, they're going to need not just one, but numerous guys to step up.
The NFC North will be more difficult this season. The Green Bay Packers return their core, while the Chicago Bears appear primed to return to contention with a new quarterback. The Detroit Lions should also be better with a full season of Matthew Stafford under center.
In other words, Minnesota will face an uphill battle just to make it back to the postseason. Are the young Vikings ready for that challenge?
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