Former Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowler May Soon Reunite with His Old Coach
For six seasons, Dalvin Cook treated Vikings fans to some of the best play at the running back position in the NFL.
Now, Cook may soon reunite with his former Vikings head coach, Mike Zimmer, who took the job as the defensive coordinator for Mike McCarthy’s Dallas Cowboys. The news broke on Monday that Cook would be flying to Dallas on Monday night for a visit.
Dalvin Cook Could Be Headed to Dallas
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported the news, tweeting, “The #Cowboys might not be done: Sources say 4x Pro Bowl RB Dalvin Cook is flying to Dallas tonight for a visit. Unlike a year ago, when he was rehabbing from shoulder surgery, Cook has hit the weights all offseason and says he feels the best he has in years.”
Cook was selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Vikings, Zimmer’s fourth draft as the head coach. He played five seasons under Zimmer before the team decided to fire both the head coach and general manager Rick Spielman following the 2021 season.
The running back would then go through the 2022 season with Minnesota, and it actually was the first season in which Cook played every game. He totaled 264 carries for 1173 yards (his fourth straight season of 1000+ rushing yards) and eight touchdowns.
Despite the success, the Vikings opted to release Cook during the summer of 2023 as a result of a large cap hit. He then remained on the free agency market for about two months before signing with the New York Jets.
However, Cook struggled to find a consistent role with the Jets during the 2023 season. He rarely saw time in New York’s backfield with second-year RB Breece Hall taking on most of the carries in the offense. Cook totaled just 67 carries for 214 yards before being released after Week 17.
After being released, Cook then signed with the Baltimore Ravens for their playoff run and totaled eight carries for 23 yards during his only appearance.
If Cook were to sign with the Cowboys, the 29-year-old running back would join an RB room in Dallas that lost Tony Pollard this offseason after back-to-back 1000-yard seasons.
The Cowboys then decided to bring back Ezekiel Elliott after he spent the 2023 campaign with the New England Patriots.
That stood as the only major move at the RB spot this offseason for Dallas as they currently employ Elliott, Rico Dowdle, Royce Freeman, Deuce Vaughn, and Malik Davis.
An addition of Cook could provide another veteran buffer to Elliott in 2024.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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