Dalvin Cook reveals new strategy to stay healthy that he learned from Stefon Diggs

Stefon Diggs hasn’t played for the Minnesota Vikings since 2019. As Dalvin Cook trained over the offseason, though, the Pro Bowl running back nevertheless looked to his former teammate as inspiration.

Cook told reporters on Tuesday that he’s been undergoing acupuncture therapy this summer in hopes of preventing future injuries and aiding recovery from past ones, a treatment strategy he learned from Diggs.

Cook and Diggs were teammates in Minnesota for three seasons, leading the Vikings to the second round of the playoffs in 2017 and 2019. In March 2020, Minnesota traded Diggs and a seventh-round pick to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for first, fifth and sixth-round picks in the 2020 draft, as well as a future fourth-rounder.

The Vikings selected Justin Jefferson with the 2020 first-round pick they received from Buffalo, immediately filling the gaping hole at wide receiver opposite Adam Thielen left by Diggs’ departure. Jefferson earned Pro Bowl honors as a rookie, then set a record last year for the most combined receiving yards of any player in league history over his first two NFL seasons.

Cook, meanwhile, has shrugged off a laundry list of nagging injuries to remain among the most dynamic running backs in football. He’s rushed for over 1,100 yards each of the last three seasons, also making an impact as a pass-catcher.

Minnesota hasn’t made the playoffs since Diggs was wearing purple. With Dalvin Cook taking a page out of his training and recovery regimen, don’t be surprised if that changes in 2022.

[Chris Tomasson, St. Paul Pioneer Press]