Getty The Baltimore Ravens can replace injured RBs Keaton Mitchell and J.K. Dobbins with a four-time Pro Bowler.
Losing Keaton Mitchell and J.K. Dobbins to injury has left the Baltimore Ravens using every member of the depth chart to keep their running game relevant. A true workhorse is lacking, but the Ravens can solve that problem by signing four-time Pro Bowler Dalvin Cook.
The latter was released by the New York Jets on Tuesday, January 2. The move was confirmed by the Loyalty Above All agency, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. He also reported Cook will now have an “opportunity to play for a playoff team.”
Four-time Pro Bowl RB Dalvin Cook and the #Jets have mutually agreed to part ways, allowing Cook the opportunity to play for a playoff team, per his agency @LAASportsEnt.
The dynamic playmaker has fresh legs after minimal usage in NY and can now compete for a Super Bowl.
Cook’s desire to catch on with a postseason contender makes the Ravens a natural fit. The AFC’s top seed leads the NFL “in rushing yards and average 5.0 yards per carry, but there’s a case to be made for them to still add a back like Cook before making a playoff run,” according to Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports.
Sullivan noted how Gus Edwards and Justice Hill have been carrying the load, but production has been on the wane.
Dalvin Cook Would Boost Ravens’ Super Bowl Hopes
Things didn’t work out for Cook with the Jets, but the 28-year-old is still a marquee back. One who has posted four 1,000-yard rushing seasons during a prolific career.
Those campaigns came with the Minnesota Vikings, when Cook established himself as a prolific force in the red zone. He scored 43 touchdowns on the ground before this season, including this 81-yarder against the Buffalo Bills in 2022.
.@DalvinCook goes 81 YARDS!!!
📺: #MINvsBUF on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ t.co/uRjde5F169
Cook can produce game-breaking runs and move the sticks in short-yardage situations. He’s also a competent receiver who can catch passes from multiple spots across formations.
A good example of Cook’s receiving skills came against the Indianapolis Colts last season. Cook lined up at wide receiver and took a screen 64 yards to the house, per Next Gen Stats.
Kirk Cousins & Dalvin Cook (64-yd TD)
🔹 Yards After Catch: 66
🔹 YAC Over Expected: +55
🔹 Most Vikings YACOE in NGS era
The Vikings win probability increased to 42.4% after a successful two-point conversion to tie the game (36-36). It was as low as 0.4%.
Those things make Cook an every down back, something the Ravens don’t have ahead of the playoffs.
Ravens Lack Focal Point for Running Game Without Keaton Mitchell
Mitchell tearing his ACL prompted the Ravens to sign Melvin Gordon III from the practice squad, but the veteran has had little impact. Gordon carried six times for 10 yards during Week 17’s 56-19 win over the Miami Dolphins.
The Ravens amassed 160 yards on the ground against the Dolphins. It took a collective effort from Edwards, Hill, Gordon and quarterback Lamar Jackson. A similar group effort yielded just 3.9 yards per rush against the San Francisco 49ers one week earlier, per ESPN.
Numbers have been erratic, but the committee approach has been good enough to produce a franchise-record 26 rushing touchdowns. Adding a legitimate RB1 like Cook might risk upsetting the balance the Ravens have struck on the ground, but there’s an upside.
Notably, boosting an already depleted depth chart in time for the business end of the season. It’s not as if the Ravens aren’t looking at other running backs, with the franchise hosting LSU’s Troy Carter, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.
Ravens signed S Jeremy Lucien to practice squad. They had open spot after Laquon Treadwell moved to active roster for the Miami game.
They also worked out RB Tory Carter (LSU).
Having a proven commodity like Cook pound the rock in tournament football would be better. He can be the X factor that helps the Ravens avoid repeating some painful history.
Their past disappointment includes the 2019 season, when Baltimore was also the No. 1 seed and owned homefield advantage. The Ravens looked like a lock for the Super Bowl, but the Tennessee Titans immediately ended those hopes at M&T Bank Stadium.
Bolstering positions hit by injuries with established talents like Cook and cornerback Marcus Peters, would ensure the Ravens aren’t caught cold again.