Ryan Cook (American football)

Ryan Cook

Personal information
Born:	(1983-05-08) May 8, 1983 Albuquerque, New Mexico
Height:	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:	325 lb (147 kg)
Career information
High school:	Albuquerque (NM) Cibola
College:	New Mexico
NFL draft:	2006 / Round: 2 / Pick: 51
Career history
Minnesota Vikings (2006–2010) Miami Dolphins (2011) Dallas Cowboys (2012–2013)
Career highlights and awards
3× All-Mountain West
Career NFL statistics as of 2012
Games played: 90 Games started: 51 Fumble recoveries: 2
Player stats at PFR

Ryan Cook (born May 8, 1983) is an American football offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football for the University of New Mexico.

He also played for the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys.

Early years

Cook played offensive tackle for Cibola High School under head coach Ben Shultz. He was a three-year letterman, and earned First Team All-City and Second Team All-State honors as a senior and Second Team All-City as a sophomore. He also accepted an invitation to play in the New Mexico North-South All-Star game.

College career

Cook played for the University of New Mexico for the 2002-2005 seasons. Originally a walk-on, he received a scholarship in his second season. He earned All-Mountain West first team honors at center for three consecutive years, being the first center to do so in New Mexico's history.

In his career, he had 416 knockdown blocks, averaging 8.7 per game in 46 games. As a senior, he was also invited to play in the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl, accepting the invitation to the Senior Bowl.

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings (first stint)

Cook was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round (51st overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year contract. In the 2007 and 2008 seasons, he was a regular starter at right tackle.

He lost his starting position in the 2009 season to rookie Phil Loadholt. On April 12, 2010, he signed a one-year contract as a restricted free agent and became a starter at right guard.

On August 4, 2011, Cook was re-signed to a two-year contract. On September 3, he was released in the final cuts before the start of the 2011 season.

Miami Dolphins

Cook signed with the Miami Dolphins as a free agent on September 5, 2011. During the season he played as a backup center and guard. The next year he was beaten out by rookie Josh Samuda for the backup center role.

On August 31, 2012, he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys, in exchange for a 7th round draft pick (#224-Kevin Dorsey).

Dallas Cowboys

After being with the team less than a week, he was forced to assume the starting center role when Phil Costa aggravated a back injury after the first series of the season opener. He became the starter for the rest of the season, after Costa suffered a partially dislocated ankle in the fifth game against the Carolina Panthers. In 2013 during training camp, he was placed on the injured reserve list after suffering a back injury.

Personal life

Cook is the older brother of Erik Cook, a center who played for the Washington Redskins.

External links

• Miami Dolphins bio