One Team Ruled out of Dalvin Cook Sweepstakes
Dustin Baker
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Some folks in the Dallas Cowboys orbit, mainly fans, believed Minnesota Vikings tailback Dalvin Cook might land in Texas via trade or after a release.
But if Cook becomes a Cowboy, it won’t be via a trade, according to Cowboys SI.
One Team Ruled out of Dalvin Cook Sweepstakes
Heading into 2023, the Vikings employed running back Ty Chandler and Kene Nwangwu at running back in addition to Cook — and then re-signed longtime RB Alexander Mattison for two years and $7 million while drafting UAB’s DeWayne McBride in April. Yes, that’s five running backs on a Vikings team that leans pass-happy with former quarterback Kevin O’Connell as head coach.
Meanwhile, after seven years of service, Dallas said goodbye to running back Ezekiel Elliott in March. Tony Pollard is on deck as RB1, with side dishes of Malik Davis, rookie Deuce Vaughn, and Ronald Jones for support. Cowboys enthusiasts are evidently accustomed to a fancy way of living with productive halfbacks, so it makes sense in that regard that the Cowboys would shimmy into the Cook rumor mill.
But all that chatter should cease, says SI.com’s Mike Fisher. “While there would be obvious interest in a star runner who seems still in his prime at a grandly reduced rate, a league source tells us that Dallas’ response to any and all trade concepts from the Vikings would be ‘no deal,'” Fisher wrote Wednesday.
“The Cowboys are counting on Tony Pollard (at a pricy $10 million) to be their No. 1 running back. There is no one on the roster who is likely to push him, and it can be argued there is no one on the roster who could even be counted on (yet) to share the load. Dalvin Cook would be a terrific way to solve that. But you know when the Cowboys will consider the idea to be truly ‘nice’? When Cook either volunteers to cut down his contract or when the Vikings follow through with cutting Cook,” Fisher concluded.
That’s the message from Dallas-themed media: the Cowboys would be intrigued by a Cook partnership, but only if it doesn’t involve trade assets. Wait and see if he’s released, and then pounce.
If recent running back trades can be faithfully sourced, Cook should fetch a 4th- or 5th-Round pick via trade. But as the NFL trends toward pass-happiness, RBs are becoming less valuable, almost by the minute. The Cowboys non-interest in a Cook trade is yet another example.
Should the Vikings trade or release Cook after June 1st, they’d save $9-11 million in 2023 cap space and balloon the total available salary cap to just over $20 million (if the Vikings sign no more players before the probable Cook subtraction).
The Cowboys are the only NFL team to play at U.S. Bank Stadium more than once and remain undefeated in the building. Dallas has never lost at the Glass Palace, tallying a 4-0 record since its erection in 2016.
Other teams still in the Cook rumor mill? Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, and Houston Texans — per oddsmakers.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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