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Vikings running back Dalvin Cook said it hurt to see wide receiver Stefon Diggs leave the team in a trade with the Bills last month, but that he and others still with the team have “to accept that Diggs wanted to be happy and be happy for him as a player.”

Diggs isn’t the only veteran member of the team who has moved on to other teams this offseason. Cornerback Xavier Rhodes, defensive tackle Linval Joseph and guard Josh Kline were released. Cornerbacks Mackensie Alexander and Trae Waynes joined safeties Jayron Kearse and Andrew Sendejo and defensive end Stephen Weatherly in leaving as free agents. On top of those departures, veteran defensive end Everson Griffen remains a free agent.

The Vikings have added a few players, but Cook thinks it is up to some of the team’s younger players to step up and fill the void opened by all the exits.

“Now, it’s time for some of the younger guys to step up and time for us to go out here and still be contenders,” Cook said, via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “I was close to a lot of those guys but that’s part of the business, and you’ve got to move forward. I just think the Vikings, we’ve just got to come together and I think we’ll still be contenders at the end of the day. It’s just going to be some new faces that you’ve got to get used to.”

The list of younger players in Minnesota will grow next week as the Vikings have 12 draft picks at their disposal. Integrating them into the group already on hand will be crucial to the team’s chances of earning back-to-back playoff berths.