The tea leaves are all telling us that the Minnesota Vikings are in the business of trading running back Dalvin Cook.
For starters, they quickly re-signed Alexander Mattison to a two-year deal with just over $6 million guaranteed. It’s hard to believe that Mattison would return without shopping himself around unless he felt he had a chance to finally become a bell cow running back. After all, he’s only averaged 101 carries per season since being picked by the Vikings in the third round of the 2019 draft to back up Cook, who rushed 268 times per year since Mattison was selected.
On Monday, NFL Network reported that Cook’s shoulder, which was surgically repaired this offseason, is on the mend. Whether it’s intended or not, the bat signal seems to be going up for all teams that are concerned with Cook’s health that he’s going to be ready to play next season — and won’t be dealing with the shoulder injury that nagged him.
And our final bit of evidence: The Vikings reportedly looked into potentially signing former Bear David Montgomery but he went to the Lions because they gave him higher guarantees.
It’s worth asking why the Vikings would trade Cook considering he still gained over 1,100 yards at 4.4 yards per carry last season. A few reasons, starting with money. Cook is set to carry a $14 million cap hit and the Vikings would gain nearly $8 million in cap space by moving him and only $6 million by cutting him. Cook has also declined in yards per touch each of the last three seasons and history is not kind to RBs in their late 20s.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell has preached that the Vikings want to improve their ground game and the signing of blocking tight end Josh Oliver seemed to be the first step in that process. Dealing away a veteran running back who had mixed results would give the Vikings a chance to find the best fit for their running scheme.
Finding a place to move Cook is a challenge though. Teams who struggled on the ground have already addressed their backfields. The Carolina Panthers added Miles Sanders, Houston picked up Devin Singletary, Jamaal Williams signed with the Saints, the Eagles grabbed Rashaad Penny and the Dolphins kept both their free agent RBs.
The Tampa Bay Bucs look like an obvious choice after moving on from Leonard Fournette but they have the second least cap space, ahead of only the Vikings.
The Arizona Cardinals make a lot of sense considering their leading non-QB rusher last year had 762 yards and the next best gained just 299 yards. But their interest in Cook may depend on how they view 2023. If the Cards are forced to trade or cut DeAndre Hopkins and tank, it might not be worth acquiring the Vikings’ RB considering Kyler Murray isn’t likely to be able to start the season after tearing his ACL. However, if they want to remain competitive and Murray has a chance to return and compete for a wild card spot, Cook would be a good back to pair with James Connor and the other weapons in the desert, namely Hollywood Brown and Rondale Moore.
The Los Angeles Rams have ridden the Cam Akers train right to the bottom of the NFL in rushing efficiency. They should be looking to bounce back from a miserable 2023 season with Matthew Stafford coming back from injury and could use a better back to pair with Akers than Kyren Williams. The holdup is the Rams’ history with paying running backs. Would they be OK taking on an expensive RB after the Todd Gurley debacle a few years ago?
Are the Pittsburgh Steelers down enough on Najee Harris to make a move for Cook? He gained just 3.8 yards per carry last season and Pittsburgh should be aiming to give Kenny Pickett all the support he can get. Of course, it would be a tough look after they invested a first-round pick for Harris.
The Denver Broncos would have an appreciation for Cook’s skills considering their GM worked for the Vikings and their head coach Sean Payton got smoked by Cook on several occasions. Their current backfield consists of Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine.
There aren’t a ton of other teams that are in need of running back help and motivated to find it, which may be another part of the holdup.
So what happens if they can’t find a trade partner? The Vikings could release Cook and use the cap space on other parts of the roster i.e. cornerback. They could restructure and create as much as $6 million, per OverTheCap or they could play him in 2023 and find other options when it comes to making the needed space — though those are few and far between.
The bottom line is that the Vikings have reason to move Cook but it’s hard to say whether any team will step up to the plate and acquire him with his current contract. If not, we will find out if they are still willing to move on for nothing in return and start aiming to find the next RB1.
