Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles injury coupled with the emergence of second-year running back Breece Hall led to Dalvin Cook becoming expendable in the eyes of the New York Jets.
After 15 disappointing games and just 67 forgettable carries, the Jets released Cook on Tuesday, freeing up the four-time Pro Bowler to sign with another team ahead of the playoffs. Here are the five best landing spots for Cook
1. Baltimore Ravens
Despite losing both J.K. Dobbins and Keaton Mitchell to season-ending injuries, the Ravens still lead the NFL in rushing, averaging 159.7 yards per game. Although a good chunk of that comes from quarterback Lamar Jackson, Baltimore has gotten solid production out of both Gus Edwards and Justice Hill. The success of the Ravens run game, however, is not predicated on one workhorse back, but rather a RB-by-committee approach with each player bringing a different skill set to the table.
Baltimore would probably be just fine in the playoffs with Edwards and Hill, but throwing Cook into that rotation makes an already-dangerous Ravens offense even more worrisome. Cook can run, catch and take any play to the house with enough space and time. More importantly, he gives the team yet another weapon to help take some of the pressure off Jackson
2. Dallas Cowboys
Tony Pollard is only 65 yards away from 1,000 this season, but he’s not been as productive as the Cowboys hoped he’d be, and they really need a better No. 2 option than Rico Dowdle, who’s totaled just 315 yards on 80 carries. Dallas’ RB depth is seriously lacking. Most of the team’s rushing yards behind Pollard and Dowdle have come from QB Dak Prescott (242 yards) and a pair of receivers in CeeDee Lamb (106 yards) and KaVontae Turpin (105 yards).
While Cook wasn’t overly productive in New York, that can be explained away by the extenuating circumstances of that situation — bad QB play, Hall’s breakout season, the team throwing more than running due to playing from behind, etc. The fact of the matter is Cook is a four-time Pro Bowler and he had four straight seasons of 1,100 or more rushing yards before signing with the Jets. He may not be exactly the same player he was during that four-year stretch, but he’s certainly a massive upgrade over what Dallas has now.
3. Buffalo Bills
Much of Dallas’ situation also applies to Buffalo. Dalvin’s brother James is third in the league in rushing (1,086 yards), but he has almost no help behind him. QB Josh Allen is the Bills’ second-leading rusher (457 yards), and Latavius Murray has contributed 30 yards on 79 carries, but it would behoove the team to add some insurance for the postseason.
Dalvin adds value out of the backfield as a receiver as well, logging 236 receptions, 1,872 yards and five touchdowns during his career, and he could help keep James’ workload a little lighter, subsequently keeping him fresher when the team will need him most. Plus, adding another competent RB could cut down on the number of carries (and number of hits) Allen takes in the playoffs
4. Cleveland Browns
Since Nick Chubb’s season-ending knee injury, Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt have combined for exactly one 100-yard rushing game. Ford is the only one to top 15 or more carries, which he’s done just four times. Sure, they have 13 touchdowns between them, but Ford is averaging a shade over 50 yards rushing per game and Hunt just 29.
With the Browns now riding or dying with Joe Flacco at QB, he could use all the help he can get once the postseason starts and he’s facing good teams like the Jaguars, Texans or Chiefs instead of the Bears and Jets. Adding Cook would give Cleveland a three-headed monster out of the backfield and give the team another dynamic playmaker capable of scoring on any play
5. San Francisco 49ers
If Cook is going all-in on getting a Super Bowl ring this year, San Francisco may just be his best bet. With Christian McCaffrey leading the way, followed by a strong rotation of Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason, the 49ers have one of the best RB depth charts in the league.
However, McCaffrey did suffer a calf injury in last week’s win over the Washington Commanders, and it’s not known exactly how serious it is. While McCaffrey will have three-plus weeks to rest and get ready for the NFC divisional round, adding another option of Cook’s caliber who can run and catch may not be the worst thing in the world heading into the postseason
Leave a Reply