Dalvin Cook landing spots: Cowboys’ Mike McCarthy has ‘great respect’ for four-time Pro Bowl RB

The New York Jets and veteran running back Dalvin Cook have mutually agreed to part ways leading up to the Week 18 regular-season finale, his agency told NFL Media. CBS Sports Lead NFL Insider Jonathan Jones confirmed the move. With his release, Cook can now play for a playoff team and compete for a Super Bowl while New York’s season ends on Sunday against New England. 

Cook also has restructured his contract to forfeit his remaining guarantees, Jones reports.

Cook’s tenure with the Jets was largely a forgetful one. After being released by the Minnesota Vikings during the offseason, the 28-year-old signed a one-year deal with the Jets in August, which was looked to be a cherry on top of a seismic offseason headlined by the acquisition of Aaron Rodgers. Of course, Rodgers’ stint in 2023 lasted just four snaps before tearing his Achilles and sending New York’s season into a tailspin that has them entering the final week of the season eliminated from playoff contention at 6-10. 

As for Cook, he had 16 touches in Week 1 but saw his role diminish as the season rolled along. The opener was the only time throughout the year he received double-digit carries and currently has just 67 carries entering Week 18. He played 50% of the offensive snaps in Week 1 and then saw no more than 36% of the offensive snaps going forward. Back in October leading up to the trade deadline, Cook admitted that his lack of touches was “frustrating” and he was going to talk to GM Joe Douglas about a possible trade, but no deal came to fruition.

In what proved to be his final game with the Jets in Week 16 against the Commanders, Cook saw just five snaps (6%). He was a healthy scratch last week in the loss to Cleveland.

With all that in mind, the running back would provide a fresh set of legs for any playoff team that is looking to bolster its backfield for a Super Bowl run. As for what teams could make sense for Cook, let’s dive into a handful of playoff contenders below.

Dalvin Cook landing spots

Dallas Cowboys

Dallas was one of the teams speculated to initially land Cook upon his release from Minnesota, so it’d make sense for them to re-enter the fray now that he’s to be had again. That’s particularly true with the Cowboys running game not exactly finding a solid rhythm this year with Tony Pollard leading the way. Dallas is averaging just 4.1 yards per carry this season and ranks outside the top 10 in the league in rushing yards per game. Cook could come in and be a complement to Pollard in a similar fashion to the backfield duo they had with Ezekiel Elliott. 

Current Cowboys backup running back Rico Dowdle is working his way back from an ankle injury, and the team placed rookie Deuce Vaughn on injured reserve on Wednesday. 

“Those are questions you are always visiting with and so forth,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday when asked what the team’s interest is in Cook now that he was cleared waivers. “Obviously I have a tremendous amount of respect for him, played a number of games against [him] when Dalvin was in Minnesota. I have great respect for him.”  

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens lead the league in rushing yards and average 5.0 yards per carry, but there’s a case to be made for them to still add a back like Cook before making a playoff run. The team lost running backs J.K. Dobbins and Keaton Mitchell throughout the year and has been relying on Gus Edwards and Justice Hill in recent weeks, along with getting contributions from quarterback Lamar Jackson. Cook comes in and deepens what has been a depleted unit and joins a team that is very much in the conversation to win the Super Bowl. 

Miami Dolphins

There might not be much of a need here with the Dolphins already having De’Von Achane emerging, but Raheem Mostert — who has 21 total touchdowns this season — has been banged up in recent weeks due to knee and ankle injuries. While Mostert was limited in practice last Friday before being ruled out, if he is less than 100%, adding Cook — a Miami native — to the fold could help strengthen this unit for the postseason. If Cook is looking for more of a lead role, however, a homecoming may not be in the cards.

San Francisco 49ers

Christian McCaffrey is going to be the top dog in this backfield and everyone else is going to be playing second fiddle, including Cook. So, if he wants more carries, he’ll have to look elsewhere. That said, the motivation for Cook to land with the Niners is inserting himself in a running back-friendly offense under Kyle Shanahan and arguably giving himself the best chance to win the Super Bowl. For the 49ers, they just saw McCaffrey suffer a mild calf strain that will keep him out for the Week 18 finale against the Rams. While the injury doesn’t appear serious, it could give them motivation to go over the top and cover their bases by adding Cook as insurance. 

Cleveland Browns

The Browns would be a familiar situation for Cook as he’d reunite with his former offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski. The coach was the Vikings OC back in 2019 and Cook compiled 1,654 scrimmage yards and 13 total touchdowns that year. The Browns have been able to stay afloat out of the backfield following Nick Chubb’s season-ending knee injury back in Week 2 with Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt carrying the load, but Cook could be a piece that helps them go that much further in the postseason.