Hall of Famer Thinks Dalvin Cook Got It Wrong
Dustin Baker
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It was a poor decision.
That’s the word from former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver and Hall of Famer Michael Irvin about Dalvin Cook’s decision to join the Baltimore Ravens last week.
Hall of Famer Thinks Dalvin Cook Got It Wrong
Cook and the New York Jets agreed to part ways on January 2nd after Robert Saleh’s team stopped prominently using the veteran tailback on offense. New York deemed Breece Hall a more productive alternative, and Cook’s stay in the AFC East lasted five months.
After clearing waivers — Cook was on the free-agent wire for mere minutes — the Ravens scooped the 28-year-old for their impending playoff adventure. Baltimore has a 1st-Round bye, so Cook could experience touches in the offense as early as next weekend.
But don’t get Michael Irvin started. He wasn’t thrilled by Cook’s choice.
“I think it’s a poor decision on Dalvin Cook’s part,” Irvin said on FoxSports Undisputed this week. Irvin had previously called for Cook to join the Cowboys, Irvin’s former team. No cigar.
“Why and how are you going to prove your worth when [Baltimore is] already where they are? How can you tell these other teams that you [make] an impact?” Irvin added about Cook to the Ravens.
Baltimore ranks tops in the NFL per rushing offense DVOA, and it appears Irvin believed it was a cop-out to join a team that doesn’t necessarily need another halfback. Or something like that. The Ravens’ rushing attack now showcases Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, Melvin Gordon, Dalvin Cook, and of course, Lamar Jackson.
Before the Ravens relationship materialized, Irvin was vocal about Cook in a Cowboys uniform. He said last Thursday on Fox Sports’ Undisputed about Cook to Cowboys, “Absolutely they should. They need it. It is right in the area, right now, that they’re lacking the production but also they are having a number of injuries. Deuce Vaughn has been hurt. Rico Dowdle has been hurt.”
Cook’s tenure in New York ended rather unceremoniously, as when he signed with the Jets last summer, he hoped to join Aaron Rodgers and friends for a Super Bowl push. But just four plays into the season, Rodgers tore his Achilles — the same injury that beset Kirk Cousins in October — and the Jets’ season died that moment.
“Can you use a Dalvin Cook going into the postseason right now? Absolutely you can use him,” Irvin added about the now-moot Cowboys theory.
Meanwhile, Cook struggled mightily in New York and was flatly ignored in the Jets’ awful offense as of late. He’s banked 82 touches in 2023 for 292 yards from scrimmage, a meager 3.6 yards per touch. During his Vikings run, for example, he tabulated 5.5 yards per touch in 2019.
But the man will be totally rejuvenated in Baltimore, perhaps on the cusp of reaching the Super Bowl or at least the AFC Championship. The road to the Super Bowl goes through Baltimore as the Ravens own the No. 1 seed.
Maybe Cook’s Ravens will even eventually play Irvin’s Cowboys in February.
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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