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The Miami Dolphins couldn’t lure running back Dalvin Cook to his hometown in 2023, but it could happen this time around.
A Miami native, Cook hasn’t signed with a team yet after a lackluster 2023 with the New York Jets. Cook sees that year as an anomaly after his six stellar seasons with the Minnesota Vikings from 2017 to 2022 where he earned four Pro Bowl appearances amid four 1,000-yard seasons. The last came in 2022 before the Vikings let him go over salary cap constraints.
“I’ve got it all,” Cook said via Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 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,” Cook added.
Cook rushed for 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns with the Vikings in 2022, but the Jets hardly used him due to running back Breece Hall. The former Florida State star only had 67 carries for 214 yards, but the Baltimore Ravens picked up Cook for the playoffs after he asked the Jets to cut him.
Dolphins Could Afford Dalvin Cook
Miami, a playoff team in 2023, fits that vision for Cook though the carries may not come with it. The Dolphins are relatively loaded at running back with Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane, who both had over 800 yards last year.
However, running backs can get injured, and Cook could provide a boost where needed and not break the bank in the process. While the Jets gave him a one-year, $7 million deal last year, Cook may not find as big a contract amid his ongoing free agency.
That’s good news for the Dolphins because the team only has $1.42 million in salary cap space. Miami could sign Cook on a one-year prove-it-type deal, and it gives Cook a shot at making a deep playoff run with his hometown team.
“Yeah, you always have to be prepared for the opportunity,” Cook told Wilson regarding his next opportunity — albeit unknown. “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.”
Dalvin Cook Wants Carries, and the Dolphins Have a Little Room
That said, Cook made it clear that he wants carries, which he didn’t get in New York or Baltimore. He only got eight carries for 23 yards in the playoffs with the Ravens.
“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.”
“It’s about what are you going to do with it. For me, patience is the key so let’s just stay ready and stay confident it’s going to explode,” he added.
Mostert has been durable in two seasons amid 31 games with the Dolphins. Achane meanwhile played 11 games last season as a rookie.
That said, the Dolphins could use a seasoned third back. Jeff Wilson Jr. had 41 carries last year, and Jaylen Wright didn’t have a carry all season.
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