EAGAN, Minn. -- Dalvin Cook surpassed another hurdle in his recovery from the torn ACL he sustained in Week 4 of his rookie season.
For the first time in eight months, Cook was able to participate in team drills during the Minnesota Vikings' third week of OTAs. The running back found out on Monday that he was cleared to go through certain portions of 11-on-11 drills after being limited to individual work and exercises on the rehab field during the first two weeks of voluntary team workouts.
"I've been feeling good, but this week was another milestone in the rehab," Cook said. "This was a milestone for me just to get back out there and get some things done."
Wearing a brace on his left knee, Cook took reps with the first-team offense and spent time working on situational drills in the red zone. Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer has stressed the importance of balancing Cook's workload this season, which begins with monitoring how his knee responds to the speed of the offense, being aware of the number of reps he's taking and getting him comfortable in a team setting again.
"It's more about getting him around bodies flying at him a little bit," Zimmer said. "It's not so much trying to figure out what he can do right now, it's just trying to get him comfortable with 22 players around him."
While Cook did his rehab in Minnesota and was around several of his teammates throughout the offseason, being back on the field and able to participate in team drills felt a little unusual after being sidelined since early October.
"It's definitely different," Cook said. "You go out there and rehab, and you try to get your body back in shape. But you think you're in shape until you go take four reps back-to-back, and then you're like, man, it's a different type of shape you need to get in. Just getting back out there and just getting that feeling back out. Just to get your body back out there, I got to still take those steps. It's a long process. I've got a long way to go. Just got to keep working."
Cook's promising rookie campaign was abruptly cut short when he suffered a non-contact ACL tear in the third quarter of Minnesota's 14-7 loss to Detroit on Oct. 1. The running back took a carry up the middle of the field for 10 yards, and upon cutting to his right to avoid Lions safety Tavon Wilson, Cook reached for his left knee and fumbled the ball.
In the days after his injury, Cook underwent surgery and eventually began what was a slow rehab process at first. Although the Vikings have lauded Cook for being ahead of schedule throughout most of his rehabilitation, the running back noted the difficulty and mental toll in getting to where he is now.
"You're going to stack the good days up, but the bad days are going to come," he said. "That's when you've got to push through those days. Those are going to be the days that will make you or break you. Those are going to be the days that get you over the hump and set you apart from others. I just put it into perspective like that. I put those bad days right in front of me, and I go attack it every day."
For now, Cook is going about the next steps in his recovery process by going with "the flow" and trusting the plan the Vikings' training staff has in place for him. Zimmer said earlier this offseason that he expects Cook will be full-go by training camp, which begins the last week of July.
At that point, Cook will get his chance to cut loose in the Vikings' offense. This spring, he's gotten a chance to observe what kind of scheme new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo is going to install.
"It's an offense that I've always wanted to be in," Cook said. "He's a great coach overall. He brings energy to the table. He and Kirk [Cousins], they bring energy to practice, period. When you have a coach like that bringing energy to the team meeting room, you want to come out here and do nothing but compete for him. Coach Flip brings that energy every day, and his offense, he wants to get the best guys the ball in their hand every time."
In just four games in 2017, Cook made a strong impression as the Vikings' lead running back. He set Minnesota's rookie-debut rushing record and helped usher in a new era for the Vikings' run game by serving as an effective pass-catching back. In four games, Cook had 74 carries for 354 yards and two touchdowns while adding 11 receptions for 90 yards.
What type of player would he have been had he been able to play beyond Week 4? Cook says the current version of himself answers that what-if.
"What type of player I am," he said. "I'm still that same guy. I just need to pick up where I left off at."