Dalvin Cook truthers! Your time appears to finally be upon you. With the recent hire of Gary Kubiak as an “offensive adviser,” along with the return of OC Kevin Stefanski, Cook is in prime position to be 2019’s Christian McCaffrey. This is especially true with Latavius Murray expected to depart to Free Agency. Just like McCaffrey, Cook’s always had the Talent, but with his Usage and Scheme scores skyrocketing, he should explode into elite RB1 land.
Between injuries, inconsistent usage, and an ill-fitting scheme, Cook was among 2018’s biggest busts. Still, the stars are aligning for a massive 2019 breakout. For one, Kubiak is a true bell cow breeder, and RBs have thrived inside his zone blocking scheme.
In fact, over Kubiak’s 22 years as an OC or HC, 15 RBs have topped 1200 YFS, including 13 over 1480, 10 over 1600, and 7 over 1800. Even better, of those five misses, just two were non-injury related. Supreme talents like Terrell Davis, Clinton Portis, and Arian Foster were all 1900+ total yard, 18+ TD monsters in this scheme, but even no-names like Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson, Reuben Droughns, and Steve Slaton have been 1,500 yard, 10+ TD beasts. Cook’s ability and ceiling are much more in-line with those first three names.
Plus, when provided with a capable pass-catching back, Kubiak will fully exploit it. 6 of his last 9 RBs caught at least 40 balls, and Cook drips in receiving ability. Hell, just last year, he caught 40 passes for 305 yards in only 11 injury-ridden contests. Foster caught at least 40 passes three of his six seasons with the Texans.
Though this offense will have his fingerprints all over it, Kubiak won’t be the play-caller. Still, Stefanski is promising in his own right. In his first game calling plays, Stefanski rode cook for a season-high 20 touches, 163 yards, and 2 TDs. Overall, Stefanski flipped the Vikings from a 67/33 run-to-pass ratio (31st for run) to a 52/48 (9th).
Yes, his health is a major question mark. If he should stay healthy, however, Cook is in the perfect set-up to unlock his elite RB1 ceiling.
