Dalvin Cook Has Launching Pad for Dolphins
Ted Schwerzler
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The Miami Dolphins have long been seen as one of the most likely landing spots for Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook. With Kwesi Adofo-Mensah seemingly ready to turn things towards Alexander Mattison, Cook already appears to have a nice starting point in South Beach.
Nevermind that Dalvin Cook launched his football career in Florida, or that he played his college days as a Florida State Seminole, the familiarity with Miami itself could present as soft of a landing as the veteran could hope for.
Dalvin Cook and Miami
The unfortunate reality in the NFL is that rarely will a player see their whole career take place in one uniform. Dalvin Cook is seeing that trend inching closer with the Vikings, and despite a career year of health, his production dipped and his cap number will be as high as it’s ever been.
Speculation has run rampant in recent weeks as to where Dalvin Cook would go, and, maybe most importantly, when he could go. He wasn’t dealt before the NFL Draft, or during it, and now we are days into June with no resolution. The Vikings could simply cut him at this point, but it stands to reason they’d like to get a bit more than just salary cap relief for one of their longstanding pillars.
Should Cook go to the Miami Dolphins, it would come in a year immediately after he faced them as an opponent. Playing against the Dolphins in October last year, the Vikings running back rushed 13 times for just 77 yards, but a 53-yard scamper for a touchdown saved his day and put an exclamation point on his first trip home during his professional career. Cook had only faced the Dolphins one other time in a blowout win at home for Minnesota. He rushed 18 times that day and accumulated 136 yards with a pair of touchdowns.
Of course it’s not necessarily a great thing that Cook would be joining an organization that he’s had success against. After all, the group he ripped off the long touchdown run against last year would now be his teammates. However, building off a level of familiarity the last time he played at Hard Rock Stadium is hardly a negative situation.
We still remain in a wait and see scenario as to where Cook ultimately winds up. He’s probably hoping for something of a soft landing that the Dolphins would undoubtedly represent, but the proverbial ball remains in the Vikings court. No matter what happens, it seems rather unlikely Cook will be wearing purple during the upcoming season, and that will end one of the most productive careers in franchise history.
It doesn’t often happen that a future home for a player works out so perfectly, but that can be in play for Cook. The Vikings wouldn’t need to regularly see him in the AFC, and they could do a favor to a guy that they got an incredible amount out of after he dropped into their laps as a second round pick.
This story is yet to be finalized, but Dalvin Cook building off of his recent Miami Dolphins success as he goes home would be fun to see. The player would benefit, the Vikings would be protected, and all parties could seek a happy ending. Few moves carry this level of a solid recipe.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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