Star running back Dalvin Cook remains unsigned as the 2023 NFL regular season gets closer and closer. He’s been linked to teams like the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and New England Patriots all offseason long, but still hasn’t found a new home.
NFL insider Jeff Howe offered a key update on Cook’s free agency on Sunday.
“The Jets have shown heavy interest in Dalvin Cook, but there haven’t been any recent developments on that, according to a league source,” Howe wrote. “The Patriots, who had some peripheral interest in Cook, are now almost certainly not going in that direction, according to a league source.”
It very much appears as though the two teams battling it out for Cook’s services are the Jets and Dolphins. Interestingly enough, it was recently reported that some within the Jets believe that Cook is using his recent visit to the team as a way to drum up interest from around the league, a move that doesn’t seem to really be working all too well.
Miami has a pretty stacked backfield with Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., De’Von Achane, Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed. The team doesn’t desperately need Cook. Although the Dolphins would reportedly look to have the Miami native on their roster, they view him as a “luxury,” according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
The Florida State University product is coming off his fourth straight Pro Bowl season. During the 2022 campaign, he carried the ball 264 times for 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns. He added 295 yards and two scores through the air for good measure.
That type of versatility is something Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel would surely love to have, but it won’t be the end of the world for Miami if Cook doesn’t land with his hometown team.
New York has a greater need for Cook, as Breece Hall is still making his way back from a torn ACL he suffered last season.
Jets fifth-round rookie Israel Abanikanda had a decent first preseason game, running for 27 yards and one touchdown against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday, but New York probably doesn’t want to rely on him heavily this season. The Jets also have Michael Carter and Zonovan Knight as backfield options.
The upcoming regular season won’t get underway for another month, so Cook still has some time to find a new home and get used to new surroundings.
Wherever he lands, he’ll be hoping to continue putting up the same type of numbers fans have become accustomed to seeing from him.
