Landing Spots For Dalvin Cook

It finally appears like the Vikings and RB Dalvin Cook are nearing a resolution to a situation that has dragged on all offseason, with the team informing their third-leading rusher in franchise history he will be released on Friday. 

The timing is intentional, as it gives Minnesota 24 hours to make a last-ditch effort to try and trade Cook. But considering they’ve been open to dealing Cook all offseason and haven’t found any suitors, the more likely outcome is Cook is free to sign with any interested team after Friday. 

There’s been extensive reporting on potential suitors with Cook in limbo for weeks. The Dolphins nearly traded for him earlier this offseason but have since made several other moves at the position. The Broncos are another team that’s come up in recent days, while Cook reportedly would love to catch on with the Bills. 

Those are the most prominent landing spots but there are a couple more flying under the radar. Here’s a more in-depth look at the possibilities for Cook in the coming days: 

Dolphins

Considering the Dolphins were ready to trade for Cook several weeks ago, it’s easy to put them at the top of the list of potential suitors. It’s clear they’ll be interested to some degree. The situation has changed for Miami since the trade fell through, however, which makes this far from a slam dunk. 

After nixing the trade, the Dolphins pivoted and essentially re-signed their entire backfield from the 2022 season, including veterans Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson. In the draft, Miami used one of their four picks on third-round RB Devon Achane to add the big-play dynamic that appealed to them in a potential Cook addition. Achane has the benefit of being younger and cheaper as well. 

Cook could still fit in Miami’s backfield given he’s far more proven than any of those players and both Wilson and Mostert have extensive injury histories. It’ll come down to asking price. The Dolphins are in decent shape with the cap thanks to an additional $13 million from the June 1 release of CB Byron Jones hitting their books, but are unlikely to get in a bidding war for Cook. The good news for them is that Cook’s market is unlikely to be too outrageous given his age and the position he plays. 

Broncos

Denver has been the other team prominently connected to Cook in recent days, and it makes a lot of sense. Broncos GM George Paton was a part of the Vikings front office that drafted and then extended Cook. They’re one of the few teams with a need at running back as well. Although the early signs for RB Javonte Williams‘ rehab are good, multi-ligament knee injuries like what he had last season usually take a while to recover from. Even if Williams is back by Week 1, it’s likely he won’t be as effective.

The Broncos signed RB Samaje Perine in free agency but he hasn’t been a lead back in ages. Cook would also offer a more explosive complement to Perine and Williams that they don’t necessarily have on the roster right now. Another interesting thing to note is that the Broncos have trimmed the back end of their roster at running back, cutting three players in the past week or so with no additions — yet. 

However, while national reporters have been more confident linking Cook to Denver, local reporters have not expressed the same confidence in the team’s interest. Broncos HC Sean Payton has expressed a lot of optimism about Williams’ rehab, so perhaps the team is content to roll with him and Perine for the time being. It makes a lot of sense for them to check in with Cook but like the Dolphins, it also feels unlikely that the Broncos will want to get in a bidding war. 

Bills

Buffalo is on this list because of Cook’s reported interest in teaming up with his younger brother, Bills RB James Cook. On the field it would make some sense as well, as the older Cook is far more established and proven than anyone on Buffalo’s roster which currently includes Damien Harris, Nyheim Hines and Latavius Murray as well. 

However, that’s already a pretty crowded backfield and a pretty clear division of roles, with Cook and Hines providing quickness and receiving ability to complement the power and size of Harris and Murray. Adding Cook would push someone out. More importantly, the Bills have very little financial flexibility right now and running back does not appear to be high on their priority list. 

Perhaps if Cook elects to stay patient and there’s an injury in the Bills’ backfield, a union down the road could make sense. I would call Buffalo a longshot landing spot right now, though. 

Browns

Despite the fact that Cook is coming off of his fourth straight Pro Bowl season, the sense from a lot of the recent reporting is that the NFL thinks he’d be better suited in a complementary role moving forward. Had he taken the pay cut to stay with the Vikings, that was their plan to use him more in a committee with RB Alexander Mattison than as the three-down bell cow he’d been before. Other teams will likely view him in the same way. 

So while the Browns are set with starting RB Nick Chubb, they are a team to watch for Cook because the depth behind Chubb is unproven at best. Cleveland let RB Kareem Hunt walk this offseason and for now appears to be giving 2022 fifth-round RB Jerome Ford the first crack at the No. 2 role. Asking him to step into Hunt’s shoes is a little unrealistic and what’s more likely is the Browns lean more on Chubb if things stay the same. 

By adding Cook, however, Cleveland would be adding a viable injury alternative to Chubb, as well as a player with a three-down skillset who could more closely replicate Hunt’s role in the offense. They arguably have a bigger need for a player like Cook than any of the three teams listed so far. 

No team, including the Browns, is going to come close to the $11 million or so Cook was scheduled to make in 2023. But they have enough cap flexibility to be able to stretch a little more to land Cook if they want. More than likely we’re talking about the difference between $3 million and $6 million. It’s also worth noting the Browns have already had extensive talks with the Vikings to hammer out the trade for DE Za’Darius Smith, so it’s possible adding Cook has already come up for them. 

Cowboys

As things stand currently, Cowboys RB Tony Pollard is slated to be Dallas’ leading running back in 2023. But Pollard has never carried the ball more than the 193 totes he had last season, and that includes college when he was also a part-time player. It’s actually been a point of contention with the fanbase how cautious the coaching staff has been to manage his workload in recent seasons, particularly as former RB Ezekiel Elliott became more and more inefficient. Elliott had 468 carries over the past two seasons to Pollard’s 323. 

Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy has said he wants to run the ball more going forward as he takes over primary play-calling duties, so Dallas will need to divide 230-250 carries between other players in the backfield. Pollard could get some of those but the team will want to make sure he doesn’t break down, especially coming off a fractured ankle. The rest of the backs on the roster include Ronald Jones, Malik Davis and Rico Dowdle. Not many household names. 

Add it up, and Cook makes a ton of sense for Dallas. He’s a major upgrade over the other backs on the roster and also has a three-down skillset. Together he and Pollard could help keep each other fresh and healthy by splitting the workload. Having both gives the Cowboys injury insurance against the other going down as well.  

Out of all the teams listed here, I think the Cowboys have the biggest need at running back. Dallas also has the most available cap space of any of these teams as well, currently sitting at more than $20 million in effective cap space per Over The Cap. They won’t go crazy on salary for Cook either but if it comes down to a million or two, they’re better positioned to absorb the hit. 

Patriots

New England is always active in exploring options in free agency and in this case it actually makes sense for them to have more than cursory interest in Cook. Thanks to injuries and a breakout season in 2022 from RB Rhamondre Stevenson, the Patriots deviated from their normal running back-by-committee approach, with Stevenson shouldering the brunt of the workload. Heading into 2023, Stevenson looks even more entrenched on the top of the depth chart. 2022 fourth and sixth-rounders Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris will compete with veterans James Robinson and Ty Montgomery for roles and touches behind Stevenson. 

There’s a reason the Patriots love the committee approach, however. It helps keep everyone in the backfield fresh and healthy, and it also helps minimize the overall investment in the group because it’s cheaper to pay for three different specialists than one do-everything back. As constructed, the team doesn’t necessarily have a great alternative to feeding Stevenson as many touches as he can handle right now. Adding Cook would change that. 

The Patriots wouldn’t be looking to break the bank and Cook would be accepting a change-of-pace role behind Stevenson. So New England isn’t the first team I’d look for him to sign with. If Cook’s market is slow, however, don’t rule out the Patriots swooping in at some point. 

Bengals

There was a lot of speculation that the Bengals would look to move on from RB Joe Mixon in a cost-cutting move if they were able to land a viable alternative in the draft. That didn’t happen and Mixon looks to be solidified on the roster going into 2023, although there’s still a chance he’s asked to take a pay cut. 

I don’t think Cook’s arrival on the open market changes the equation much for the Bengals with regards to Mixon. If Cincinnati were to sign Cook with the intention of replacing Mixon, Cook would likely push for a deal that makes the cap savings negligible. What’s more likely is the Bengals adding Cook to solidify their third-down back opening, as the team has a void right now following the loss of Perine to Denver. 

Perine excelled in pass protection in particular, which is an area Mixon struggles. Right now the Bengals have fifth-round RB Chase Brown, RB Trayveon Williams and RB Chris Evans competing for that role and touches behind Mixon, but Cook would represent a major upgrade as a complementary back with a three-down skillset. 

Ultimately though, the Bengals feel like a long shot because adding Cook would be a lot more emphasis on the position than they’ve seemed willing to make so far this offseason. They seem happy with their current options. That could change after training camp, but the Bengals feel more likely to go after a younger, cheaper complementary back than the splash move with Cook.