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At his previous salary of more than $12 million per year, the Buffalo Bills were likely never going to afford to land running back Dalvin Cook.
But that price may be going down, and one writer suggests that the Bills could still be a contender to sign the Pro Bowl running back.
In a July 8 report on ESPN, Jeff Darlington reported that the Miami Dolphins have an offer on the board for Cook, one that the running back rejected. Zack Dimmitt of SI.com’s Bills Central suggested that if he slips away from the Dolphins, Cook could still have a chance to land in Buffalo.
“The market for free-agent running back Dalvin Cook?” Dimmitt wrote. “Now that he’s apparently said “no” to the Dolphins offer he remains in play for any bidder. Is that the Jets? The Patriots? The Bills?”
Dalvin Cook’s Future Remains Uncertain
While many insiders saw Miami as the most logical destination for the former Minnesota Vikings back, there are other teams already in the mix. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported on July 6 that the New York Jets are “gaining momentum” in pursuit of Cook, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler noted that the New England Patriots are intrigued with the idea of pairing Cook with Rhamondre Stevenson.
While the Bills may not have the cap space to compete financially with their division rivals, they could have another advantage in landing Cook — the chance to pair up with his younger brother, James. A June 1 report from Outkick’s Armando Salguero suggested that Cook likes the idea of either playing in the same backfield as his brother or returning to his hometown team.
“Cook is from Miami,” Salguero wrote. “[He] has made it known through sources he’d like to play either for the Dolphins or with his brother James Cook on the Bills. And the Vikings have let it known Cook probably isn’t in their future.”
Bills Made Changes at Running Back
After trading Zack Moss at last year’s deadline and watching top back Devin Singletary leave in free agency, the Bills made some changes to their backfield this offseason. General manager Brandon Beane expressed a desire to add more size and did so with the additions of free agents Damien Harris and Latavius Murray.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott shared some big praise for Harris, saying he has a good combination of speed and size.
“The biggest thing is the speed element,” McDermott said, via CBS Sports. “We felt like we needed a slightly bigger back, but not a 250-pound cloud of dust type of guy. So to find a player with some size, with some power, but also has the speed element to go along with it, I think that’s hard to defend. Not only can you run inside, but you can get to the edge from time to time. An 8-yard run can go to 18 or 80. That element is dangerous and can put a little bit of fear into defensive coordinators.”
But the younger Cook is expected to become Buffalo’s lead back next season, building on a strong end to the season as he saw his workload steadily increase down the stretch. Cook made 43 carries for 248 yards over the final five weeks of the regular season, an average of 5.8 yards per carry.
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