Alexander Mattison has been waiting for this moment.

The Minnesota Vikings running back, who is set to become the team's primary ball-carrier in 2023 following the release of four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook, told SiriusXM NFL Radio this past week that he's going above and beyond this offseason to ensure he's ready for a featured role.

"It definitely changes things," Mattison said. "I like to go into every season preparing like I'm the back. That's kind of where my mindset has always been. That's kind of where we, as a running back group, held ourselves to that standard of. I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful for having Dalvin in that running back room and challenging me to challenge him every single day, so that kind of helped me out within my preparation.

"Yeah, with that understanding of knowing kind of where my role is going to be and maximize it. I've been a lot more prepared in the way of understanding where I'm going to be at in the playbook, where I'm going to have to be at physically, my stamina. It's just a whole bunch that I have to now take into account but without applying too much pressure, of course, because this is a game of ball that we have grown to love and grown to adapt to at all different levels. I'm definitely comfortable as a professional athlete and understanding what I have to do to get the job done. Now just cranking that thing up and getting ready for this opportunity that I have in front of me."