Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson named to Pro Bowl

On Monday, the NFL announced the rosters for this year’s Pro Bowl, and even in a down season the Minnesota Vikings managed to get two of their stars named to the squad.

Running back Dalvin Cook will be a part of the team for the NFC side. This isn’t terribly surprising, given that he’s currently second in the NFL in rushing with 1,484 yards and one of just three running backs that have gone over the 1,000-yard mark this season. He’s also second in the NFL in touchdowns scored, as he’s found the end zone 16 times this season (15 rushing, 1 receiving). After getting a contract extension and still battling a few injuries, Cook has established himself as one of the league’s elite backs.

He’ll be joined by wide receiver Justin Jefferson, whose exploits we’ve already touched on here in the past couple of days. He’s just the fifth rookie wide receiver to be named to the Pro Bowl in the last 20 years, and the first since Amari Cooper made the team in 2015. Jefferson also joins Randy Moss (1998) and Sammy White (1976) as the only Vikings rookie wide receivers to make it to the Pro Bowl.

The Pro Bowl is actually going to be played virtually this year, meaning that there won’t be injury replacements or guys dropping out or things of that nature. That means that Cook and Jefferson will be the only two members of the Vikings that make the NFC Pro Bowl squad, and it will also mark the first time since 2014 that the Vikings have not had at least one defensive player named to the league’s All-Star team.

Congratulations to Dalvin Cook and Justin Jefferson on being named to the 2020 NFC Pro Bowl team!