Could Cowboys really target Dalvin Cook following the latest NFL news?
As is often the case for the Dallas Cowboys and big-named players, fans and media members tried hard to link the team and running back Dalvin Cook amid reports that the Minnesota Vikings were shopping the four-time Pro Bowler. However, with a due $10.4 million salary for the 2023 NFL season, that never seemed like […]
As is often the case for the Dallas Cowboys and big-named players, fans and media members tried hard to link the team and running back Dalvin Cook amid reports that the Minnesota Vikings were shopping the four-time Pro Bowler.
However, with a due $10.4 million salary for the 2023 NFL season, that never seemed like a strong possibility for the same Cowboys team that bet on Tony Pollard by releasing a highly-paid running back of their own in Ezekiel Elliott in the same year.
That being said, the latest NFL news does make it a legit possibility for the Cowboys and pretty much every other team: The Vikings are reportedly planning on releasing Cook on Friday, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
The news comes after months of fruitless efforts from Minnesota to move the running back via trade. NFL teams were easily turned off by Cook's high salary number and likely figured out that the Vikings were going to release him eventually anyway. And while Adam Schefter from ESPN reported the team will try to trade the running back "one more time today," things are unexpected to change.
That means Cook is set to hit the free agency market in June. That all leads to the question many Dallas fans are pondering right now.
Are the Cowboys a legit contender for Dalvin Cook?
Considering the teams' lack of interest in a trade, you have to assume that even if multiple franchises are interested in him, the price tag is going to be very reasonable. And to me, that's enough to put the Cowboys in play.
They're not the type of franchise to go overpaying for big-name free agents. But they have proven as a front office that they're willing to go bargain shopping at positions of need. With a clear lack of experience behind Tony Pollard in the running back room, the Cowboys could be interested in the play-making skills of Cook in what is supposedly a "win-now" type of season.
The soon-to-be former Viking has had four consecutive seasons of over 1,000 yards rushing and has averaged 350 receiving yards per year over that span, per Pro Football Reference. Age isn't a concern either as he'll be 28 years old when the season starts.
Every year, we learn that NFL front offices are putting less and less value on running backs as the rise of data analytics informs the teams on resource optimization.
If Cook's market hovers around or below the $5 million mark for a one-year deal, consider it the type of low-risk, high-reward bet the Cowboys like to make. Not to mention, it might even give them an interesting alternative beyond 2023 as Pollard gets ready to play under the tag this season.
Featured image via Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
