Ryan Cook (American football)

Ryan Cook (born May 8, 1983) is an American football offensive guard for the Dallas Cowboys of 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 a season for the Miami Dolphins.

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 eventually earned a scholarship. He earned All-Mountain West Conference 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. His senior year, he was also invited to play in the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl, and accepted the invitation to the Senior Bowl.

Minnesota Vikings
Cook was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings with the 51st overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year contract with Vikings. In the 2007 and 2008 seasons, Cook was a regular starter. Cook lost his starting position in the 2009 season. On April 12, 2010, he re-signed with the team on a one-year contract as a restricted free agent.

On August 4, 2011, Cook was re-signed to a two-year contract. On September 3, the Vikings released him after final cuts for the 2011 season.

Miami Dolphins
Cook signed with the Miami Dolphins on September 5, 2011.

Dallas Cowboys
On August 31, 2012, the Dolphins traded Cook to the Dallas Cowboys, for a 7th round draft pick in 2013.

Personal
Cook is the older brother of Erik Cook, a center who was drafted by the Washington Redskins in seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft.