Dalvin Cook is officially being released by the Vikings, but which possible landing spots should be knocking down the door to sign the running back now?
We knew it was coming, but now it’s here — on Thursday morning, news broke that the Minnesota Vikings are planning to release running back Dalvin Cook.
The move will save the Vikings $9 million this year and will free them up on offense to potentially reshape things, particularly financially, but no longer being so pot-committed to a running back, particularly one who has shown some mild signs of a decline in terms of his efficiency and productivity in recent years.
With that being said, that slight decline still has still seen Cook be an above average player in Minnesota. He’s rushed for 1,100 yars in each of the past four seasons and has averaged more than 4.4 yards per carry in all six of his NFL campaigns. Because of that, he should have a quality market in free agency.
But where are the best Dalvin Cook landing spots to consider? These four teams stand out as teams that should be eager to get on the phone to try and sign the running back.
Dalvin Cook landing spots: 4 teams that should be knocking down door for RB
4. Chicago Bears could be a perfect Dalvin Cook landing spot
The majority of the NFL world expected the Chicago Bears to be massive spenders in free agency given the abundance of cap space they came into the offense with. What was shocking was that, though they did make some high-priced moves, Ryan Poles and the front office played things relatively passively in relation to the expectation.
As a result, the Bears are still flush with cap room. And it just so happens that their former division rival in Dalvin Cook could slot in quite nicely to the offense around Justin Fields.
There is a lot to like about the trio of running backs currently in Chicago with D’Onta Foreman, Roschon Johnson and Khalil Herbert. At the same time, though, none of those players appear to have a leg up as a surefire No. 1 option out of the backfield.
With that being said, the rushing ability of Fields and the improving but still lacking of weapons around the quarterback mean that the Bears could be far more dangerous with the more quality playmakers they can add to the offense. Cook, even with his recent slight decline, could be exactly that.
Chicago’s flexibility financially to be able to sign Cook easily — and possibly to a more lucrative deal than other landing spots could offer — and the potential fit in the offense should make staying in the NFC North an option for the running back.
3. Miami Dolphins could beef up offense more as a Dalvin Cook destination
In the wake of the news that Cook is being released by Minnesota, ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that there are two teams who have been “monitoring” the running back for some time, one of which is the Miami Dolphins.
One of the most weapon-loaded offenses in the league under a potential mastermind in head coach Mike McDaniel, the Dolphins have a relatively deep running back room. Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. were re-signed this offseason and both players are familiar with McDaniel’s system and were successful with their touches a season ago.
At the same time, though, both Mostert and Wilson have struggled with their health over their careers. More importantly in that vein, McDaniel has expressed regret over not running the ball more in his first season with the Dolphins, especially because they were successful when they did move the ball on the ground.
Even with drafting Devon Achane, it still feels like Miami could stand to add a versatile and powerful back in the ilk of Dalvin Cook. Not only would he provide depth and injury insurance, but he could also potentially allow for more wrinkles in the offense that will only open up the field more for the elite speed on the roster like Achane, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and so on.
2. Denver Broncos could need to be a Dalvin Cook landing spot
The other team that Schefter mentioned already being in the mix for Dalvin Cook was the Denver Broncos. And the situation entirely makes sense as to why they would be interested in the now-former Vikings star.
For one, the running back room has some big questions. The team is still rightfully high on the future of Javonte Williams, but as he makes his way back from a torn ACL, it remains to be seen how effective he’ll be right away. Meanwhile, the backup is Samaje Perine, who the Broncos have touted early in the offseason, but is not a true needle-mover based on what we’ve seen from his career to this point.
Perhaps the bigger factor in the equation, however, is the arrival of Sean Payton. The new head coach in the Rocky Mountains has been preaching about getting the offense back on track after the disastrous year one with Russell Wilson at the helm. And the subtext has been that the offense could look more similar to what Wilson had a bevy of success with in Seattle.
What did Pete Carroll and the Seahawks do instead of only letting Russ cook? They ran the dang ball.
Given the way that the current running back room is structured, though, you could make the argument that they aren’t fully set up to get into that mold right away. But if they were to land Dalvin Cook now that he’s available, that changes things dramatically for the better.
1. Dallas Cowboys are the obvious Dalvin Cook destination to replace Zeke
As of June 2, the Dallas Cowboys freed up $10.9 million as the release of longtime running back Ezekiel Elliott was made official. One thing that Jerry Jones and the Cowboys front office has not done since that time, however, is find a player who will be capable of filling the role that Zeke played alongside Tony Pollard in the backfield.
There has been some talk that UDFA fullback Hunter Luepke could be the power back for the Cowboys but, outside of that wholly unproven option, guys like Deuce Vaughn, Ronald Jones II and Kavonte Turpin aren’t exactly cut out to be the short-yardage ball-carrier in this offense to spell Pollard.
Whenever the rumors that Cook could be out in Minnesota began to emerge, the Cowboys always appeared to be a logical landing spot for the veteran running back. While his play has declined a bit in recent years, the drop-off has not been as stark as it was with Elliott. More importantly, he can fill that same role at a higher level and, most likely, at a cheaper cost.
The offense in Dallas, while it does have a Mike McCarthy shadow hanging over it as the new play-caller, is primed to be one of the best in the NFL. The biggest hole, though, is that secondary running back option to complement Pollard. Now the Vikings have just handed them the best option to fill that role.