Is Dalvin Cook Any Closer to Picking a New NFL Team?
Dalvin Cook has resumed his South Florida based training, getting himself ready for the start of NFL training camp, which opens in a week.
Where and when he’ll report for camp is unknown at this point, but the South Florida native, who happens to be rehabilitating a shoulder injury he through last season, has made no secret about his desire to call Miami his permanent home.
And there’s a strong chance that could happen considering the Miami Dolphins have a standing offer on the table, though a source claims it falls short of acceptable to Cook and his camp.
Whether the Dolphins sweeten their offer likely will depend on a couple of factors.
First, who is Miami’s competition for Cook? The New York Jets and New England Patriots appear to be the other bidders, according to multiple reports.
Vegas oddsmakers actually list the Patriots as the front-runners for Cook’s services in 2023 as of this week.
Then there's how Miami’s running attack, which averaged 99.2 rushing yards (tied for 25th) and 4.32 yards per carry (ranked 19th) last season, looks early in training camp. Pads come on during the second week of training camp, which opens next week, so it might be a minute before the Dolphins gain some clarity on this.
Then there’s the health of Miami's top four tailbacks — Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson, De’Von Achane and Salvon Ahmed — in camp. Tailbacks typically battle soft-tissue injuries during camp because of all the running involved.
And finally, whether the Dolphins can finalize extensions for the team's numerous impending free agents — defensive linemen Christian Wilkins, Zach Sieler and Raekwon Davis, and offensive linemen Connor Williams and Robert Hunt sit at the top of that list — who are jockeying for what remains of the team’s $13.5 million in cap space.
When will a deal get done?
General Manager Chris Grier typically uses the week before training camp to handle business like contract extensions, and adding veteran free agents who could address voids in the roster.
Cook, who rushed for 1,100 or more yards each of the past four seasons, could be one of those free agents.
To get himself ready for the second half of his career, the post-Minnesota Vikings era, the tailback has resumed working with Nick Hicks, the co-owner and director of performance for Per4orm, the South Florida-based facility that trains a number of Dolphins players, including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Cook, who will turn 28 next month, hasn’t been part of any throwing sessions with Tagovailoa.
Cook is working with a group of NFL tailbacks that Hicks annually trains.
Cook, who averaged 17.8 touches a game, wants to continue to be a featured back. He scored 10 touchdowns last season when he rushed for 1,117 yards and caught 39 passes, which he turned into 295 yards.
Cook has succeeded in a similar offense
It likely wouldn’t take Cook long to learn Miami’s offense because head coach Mike McDaniel uses the same offense Cook was utilized in with the Vikings when Gary Kubiak was the offensive coordinator during the 2020 season. That year happened to be Cook's best NFL season, seeing how he ran for 1,557 yards and scored 16 touchdowns.
McDaniel worked under Kubiak in Denver, and Kubiak gave McDaniel his first NFL coaching position when he took him to Houston.
If Cook is signed by Miami, then he’d likely become the Dolphins' lead back, and Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin likely would become expendable.
If released or traded, those two tailbacks create $2.1 million in cap savings.
Cook, Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. likely would become the front-line tailbacks unless Mostert or Wilson are traded away to a tailback-needy team, which is possible.
The player whose status Cook’s addition could negatively impact the most would be De’Von Achane, the speedster from Texas A&M who Miami drafted in the third round.
While McDaniel seemed extremely excited about Achane's addition on draft day, there has been a running theme coming from all the 2023 rookies. They’ve all admitted Miami’s playbook, schemes and concepts were extremely difficult to grasp in their first season.
