NFL Rumors: Former GM reveals when Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott will sign

Two top free agent running backs, Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott, still haven’t found homes. An NFL insider predicts when they will sign new deals.

As NFL preseason gets underway, the fates of two top free agent running backs remain undecided: Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott.

Both Cook and Elliott were released earlier this offseason, and both have been rumored to join a smattering of potentially RB-needy teams. Elliott was caught dining with Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, while Cook was seen working out in the palm tree-lined city of Miami.

With backs as experienced as those two, the question isn’t when Cook and Elliott will sign their respective deals. It’s where.

That being said, NFL insider Michael Lombardi gave his two cents on the matter and believes both running backs will be signed two weeks before the 2023 season begins, more or less.

Lombardi justified this by commenting on the state of the running back position as a whole this camp. Per his reasoning, neither Cook nor Elliott want to risk injury, so they’ll likely wait until teams’ training camps are over before inking a deal.

NFL Rumors: Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott being patient, not desperate, ahead of 2023 season

Take a team like the Seattle Seahawks, who had as many as four healthy backs at one point in the offseason. After a week of camp, every single one had picked up some kind of injury.

Not to mention the horror stories of Tim Patrick, Marlon Mack, and a few others who have unfortunately suffered season-ending injuries — usually non-contact ones — before Week 1. It’s just brutal to see players’ careers get cut short because of a misstep or freak accident, and there’s no way Cook or Elliott want to roll the dice on their futures by participating in camp.

Besides, the two have plenty of snaps to show for their talent; they’ve each recorded four 1,000-plus rushing yard campaigns during their respective stints on the Vikings and Cowboys. A couple hundred extra yards at training camp won’t make them any more dangerous than they already are.

Perhaps the main takeaway from Lombardi’s insights is that he believes Cook and Elliott already know where they want to go. He insinuates that Cook will land with the Dolphins and Elliott with the Pats, but other teams like the Bills, Jets, Colts, and now the Cardinals could feasibly snatch up one of the veterans.

The clock is ticking during this whirlwind of an offseason for running backs. From the looks of things, though, Cook and Elliott aren’t sweating it.