The Cincinnati Bengals could use more running back depth amid the loss of Joe Mixon this offseason, and four-time Pro Bowler Dalvin Cook could fill that void.
Cook, 28, hasn’t signed with a team yet this offseason after an unusually quiet 2023 season with the New York Jets. The former Minnesota Vikings star had four-straight 1,000-yard seasons going into 2023, and Cook believes he can get back to that level.
“I’ve got it all,” Cook explained to KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson in April. “The tools are still here. I didn’t really get no reps last year. So, the legs are fresh, so the resume speaks for itself. I’m still Dalvin Cook. I’m still that guy. “For me, I don’t like to toot my own horn. I just like to go out there, put my helmet on and line up on the grass.”
The Bengals have Zack Moss returning as the lead back after a 794-yard, five-touchdown season. Cincinnati traded Mixon, who had 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns, to the Houston Texans in March.
After Moss, the Bengals have relatively unproven running backs in Chase Brown and Trayveon Williams. Neither Brown nor Williams have eclipsed 200 yards in a season.
Dalvin Cook Exceeded 2 Bengals Backs in Down Year
Dalvin sifting through traffic on mid zone
Cook had 134 yards *after* contact in this game
Cook has 6,207 yards and 47 touchdowns in his career, and he has 236 catches for 1,872 yards and five touchdowns. The ex-Florida State star could relieve Moss and give quarterback Joe Burrow a solid target out of the backfield.
Cook had a career-low 214 yards on 67 carries for the Jets in 2023 because the team opted to give starter Breece Hall the lion’s share of the carries. That didn’t thwart other teams’ interest in Cook, who left the Jets via a release request and joined the Baltimore Ravens for the playoffs.
“I think last year was really like a learning curve for me,” Cook told Wilson. ” I got kind of itchy. At the time it was coming. the season. It was where I wanted to go and now it’s about the opportunities are going to come.”
Bengals Can Afford Dalvin Cook
That opportunity might not come with a big contract — even the equivalent of Cook’s $7 million deal with the Jets in 2023. Cook once had a five-year, $63 million contract with the Vikings, which led to the team cutting him last year.
Cincinnati can easily pay Cook at least $7 million amid $23.54 million in available salary cap space. In addition, Cook wants to play for a playoff-caliber team, based on his Jets-Ravens transition. The Bengals are two seasons removed from a Super Bowl appearance with many of the same key players on the roster.
“Yeah, you always have to be prepared for the opportunity,” Cook said about possible opportunities via Wilson. “For me, I’m a veteran in the league.”
“I know what it takes to be successful in this league. I know who Dalvin Cook is and I know how I want to perform and what I want to do,” Cook added. “Like you said, stay ready so you ain’t got to get ready.”
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Bengals Could Alleviate Joe Mixon Loss With 4-Time Pro Bowl RB