Dalvin Cook’s injury diagnosed as shoulder dislocation

Late in the third quarter of the team’s 34-26 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings’ running back Dalvin Cook was on the receiving end of a pretty nasty hit that resulted in him needing to be carted off of the field. At the time, we weren’t 100% sure what the injury was, but now we know. . .and it doesn’t sound particularly promising.

Numerous sources have reported that Cook’s injury has been diagnosed as a dislocated shoulder. He will have an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the damage, including whether or not it could potentially end his season.

Cook came into this week’s action as the fifth-leading rusher in the NFL, despite having missed two full games this season and having been limited in the team’s loss to Cleveland back in Week 4. He has battled injuries throughout his NFL career, including a torn ACL in his rookie season of 2017, a hamstring injury that cost him several games in 2018, and a chest injury that limited him in 2019.

If Cook is forced to sit out again, it will leave Alexander Mattison and Kene Nwangwu as the only running backs on the Vikings’ 53-man roster. They also have preseason star A.J. Rose Jr. on the practice squad to potentially elevate to the main roster on game days.

Once we have more word on the severity of Dalvin Cook’s injury, we will bring it to you here. For now, however, it kind of feels like the Vikings should be bracing to be without their star runner for at least a little while.