Director of Player Personnel Matt Groh confirms Patriots' interest in Dalvin Cook
FOXBORO, Mass. — While the New England Patriots lost out on one big-name free agent this offseason, there is still one more possible star that could join the team. The Patriots are still currently favored to land Dalvin Cook according to DraftKings (+150), followed by two fellow AFC East teams (Miami Dolphins and New York Jets). […]
FOXBORO, Mass. — While the New England Patriots lost out on one big-name free agent this offseason, there is still one more possible star that could join the team.
The Patriots are still currently favored to land Dalvin Cook according to DraftKings (+150), followed by two fellow AFC East teams (Miami Dolphins and New York Jets).
And following the first day of training camp, Patriots Director of Player Personnel Matt Groh confirmed that New England is interested in Cook.
“We explore as many options as we can. Dalvin’s another player,” Groh said. “This is a really, really unique situation with both these players. You don’t typically have players of this caliber available at this time.”
“So this is a unique situation and in any unique situation, I think everybody evaluates and looks at, with Dalvin,” Groh added. “We saw firsthand last year going up to Minnesota on Thanksgiving… Saw Dalvin firsthand and what he can do.”
Cook was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round (41st overall pick) in the 2017 NFL Draft. Across six years with the Vikings, Cook appeared in 73 games with 1,282 carries for 5,993 yards and 47 touchdowns. On the receiving side, he had 221 receptions for 1,794 yards and five touchdowns.
A four-time Pro Bowler, Cook would certainly add some depth to the Patriots offense.
“You can never have too many good players on your team. So we worked out a couple running backs. We’ve worked out some different positions here. We’re going to continue to work out players just like every team in the league is doing. That’s again, just going back to exploring every possibility that we can to make this as strong a roster as possible,” Groh said. “I think that guys who love football know that this is a place for guys who love football… So if you love football, this is the place to be.”
The Patriots have Rhamondre Stevenson who is coming off a breakout year and their reliance on the run game could benefit from signing Cook. Plus, they definitely have the money available.
And while New England did lose DeAndre Hopkins to the Tennessee Titans, it is unlikely Cook would follow him despite expressing interest in playing with the Pro Bowler because the Titans already have Derrick Henry
So one question remains: Will DeAndre Hopkins be wearing the Patriots logo by the time the season kicks off?
Featured Image via Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
