Top Free Agent Landing Spots For RB Dalvin Cook

About a year ago at this time, the Vikings cut veteran RB Dalvin Cook despite the fact he was coming off of his fourth-straight 1,000-yard rushing season and his fourth-straight Pro Bowl season. It was a shameless money-saving move, but the Vikings also had concerns about Cook starting to decline as he entered his age-28 season. 

With the way the 2023 season played out for Cook, it appears Minnesota’s concerns weren’t entirely unfounded. Cook landed with the Jets on a pretty good deal for a veteran running back and was brought in to give New York a layer of security behind RB Breece Hall who was coming off of a torn ACL that ended an outstanding rookie season. 

Hall ended up recovering faster than expected and the Jets’ offense cratered after losing QB Aaron Rodgers in Week 1. Cook had a nightmare season. He rushed just 67 times for 214 yards and didn’t score a touchdown. By the end of the season, the Jets worked out something to release him so he could try and catch on with a playoff team. He had a stint with the Ravens but his lone on-field appearance for them in the playoffs didn’t look much different, with eight carries for 23 yards. 

That leaves Cook in an interesting situation. He’s not that far removed from being one of the NFL’s best running backs and there are mitigating factors to explain his struggles in 2023. Cook operates best as a volume back to get into a rhythm, and he was reduced to a handful of touches per game behind Hall. The Jets’ offense was also not conducive to any player having consistent success last year. 

But when the end comes for running backs, it comes swiftly and without grace. History is filled with players whose production just fell off a cliff and never recovered. It remains to be seen if this is Cook’s story or if he has a little more left to give.

The fact that he’s still available suggests the NFL has its doubts but once we get into training camp, Cook’s experience and likely low asking price could be attractive to some teams. 

Cook, 28, is a former second-round pick of the Vikings back in 2017. He was in the third year of his four-year, $6.35 million rookie contract and set to make a base salary of $1.13 million for the 2020 season when the Vikings signed him to a five-year, $63 million extension through 2025. 

Cook was due base salaries of $10.4 million and $11.9 million over the next two seasons when the Vikings released him last summer. He caught on with the Jets on a one-year deal worth $7 million but was waived at the end of the season and signed by the Ravens to the practice squad for the playoffs. 

In 2023, Cook appeared in 15 games for the Jets and rushed 67 times for 214 yards (3.2 YPC) and no touchdowns, adding 15 receptions on 20 targets for 78 yards. 

We have Cook included in our Top Available Free Agents list. 

Bills

Let’s just get this out of the way — if there was a team that viewed Cook as a starter, he would have been signed by now. The best he can hope for is a chance to compete for the No. 2 role and perhaps a role in the rotation. 

So if he has to be behind someone on the depth chart, why not his little brother? James Cook is fairly entrenched as the starter in Buffalo but the Bills want to take a committee approach in the backfield to help keep everyone fresh. The younger Cook is also listed at only 5-11 and 190 pounds, a lot smaller than most starting backs. 

The Bills used a fourth-round pick on Ray Davis and he’s the leading contender for the No. 2 job right now. The 5-8, 216-pound rookie is a physical runner and has a well-rounded skillset. Buffalo also has speedster Ty Johnson who should get a shot as a kickoff returner and UDFA Frank Gore Jr. 

Expect Davis to get the first crack at being the prime backup to James Cook and potentially getting goal-line touches. But if he’s not ready, Dalvin Cook’s proven track record of production and relationship with his brother could get him a shot, as long as he shows last season isn’t representative of what he can bring to the table going forward. 

Ravens

The Ravens signed Derrick Henry to be their feature back and the focal point of their running game. Behind him, they bring back Justice Hill as a third-down back and special teamer. Keaton Mitchell, last year’s undrafted breakout, unfortunately is rehabbing a serious knee injury and won’t be ready to return until midseason. If healthy, he brings an explosive change of pace element to the offense. 

The only alternative to Henry for early-down carries is fifth-rounder Rasheen Ali. Baltimore has the luxury of easing him in behind Henry and hoping to develop him as a viable contributor. But in a worst-case scenario where Henry goes down, the Ravens would be entrusting their backfield to an Ali/Hill one-two punch. For a team that wants to run the ball as much as Baltimore, that’s a thin backfield. 

Cook already has experience in the offense from his stint with the team late last season and would be a familiar face to lean on. He’s more established than Ali and would prevent the Ravens from leaning too hard on the rookie before he’s ready. Cook probably won’t get much work behind Henry if the veteran stays healthy but he’d be on a winning team and would have a chance for a big role if Henry went down. Realistically there aren’t many teams that can or will be inclined to offer more. 

Cowboys

The Cowboys handled this offseason in a weird way and one of the chief examples has been their approach to the running back position. Dallas has taken a bare-bones approach to replacing former starter Tony Pollard. They re-signed Ezekiel Elliott to a cheap deal, and he joins a backfield that still includes Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn from last year. The Cowboys didn’t draft a back and the only other addition they’ve made so far has been journeyman Royce Freeman. 

The tank isn’t completely empty for Elliott yet but the gas light is about to come on. Dowdle flashed in limited touches behind Pollard last year and runs hard but he’s never been able to stay healthy enough to take a major workload as a pro or collegian. Vaughn is a cool story but the 5-6, 176-pound 2023 sixth-round pick did not distinguish himself last year, averaging under two yards per carry. This might not be the worst backfield in football but it is the thinnest. 

Cook wouldn’t fix the Cowboys’ problems here and it’s worth noting Dallas was linked to both players earlier this offseason and chose to sign Elliott. But at a bare minimum, he would give the team another viable body in the backfield and give the Cowboys another option for touches. There is a connection on the staff with Cook’s former head coach Mike Zimmer running the defense. If the Cowboys lose a back to injury, Cook would likely be high on their list of potential replacements. 

Texans

Houston pushed a lot of chips in on veteran Joe Mixon this offseason, trading for him and signing him to a new contract. He’s expected to be the starter ahead of former fourth-rounder Dameon Pierce, who lost his job to Devin Singletary last year. Pierce led the Texans in rushing as a rookie and nearly topped 1,000 yards but he was not as good a fit for OC Bobby Slowik‘s zone rushing scheme and Singletary surpassed him in 2023. 

The catch is Mixon isn’t at his best on zone rushing plays either, even if he’s a much more established player than Pierce. The Texans evidently aren’t worried much about that, otherwise they would have gone a different direction this offseason, but it’s worth noting. If injuries take out either Mixon or Pierce, the depth behind them isn’t great either. Houston has third-down back and special teamer Dare Ogunbowale and used a sixth-round pick on Jawhar Jordan who profiles similarly. 

Cook, who is living and training in Houston right now, would be an experienced option for the Texans should they lose one of their top two backs to injury. He’s also more adept as a zone rusher than either Mixon or Pierce, and has a three-down skillset. The Texans are committed to Mixon, but if they explored trading Pierce, Cook would be a cheap alternative that would prevent them from being without a viable backup behind Mixon. 

Colts

Jonathan Taylor is one of the best backs in the league and figures to be a focal point of the offense for Indianapolis in 2024. However, after losing Zack Moss to the Bengals this offseason, the depth behind him is poor. The Colts are holding a competition between Trey Sermon and Evan Hull for the No. 2 role.

Hull missed nearly all of his rookie year last season due to an injury after being drafted in the fifth round. Sermon was a major bust as a former 49ers third-round pick and caught on with the Colts last year, rushing 35 times for 160 yards in 14 games. On paper at least, Cook would be a huge upgrade to both players and give the Colts a little more security behind Taylor.