As of June 1, Dalvin Cook remains with the Minnesota Vikings. After being long rumored as a trade or cut candidate, how much longer until Cook’s situation is resolved?
Latest Rumors Suggest Dalvin Cook Reveals Wish List
Armando Salguero of Outkick.com unveiled two AFC East destinations on the mind of the perennial Pro Bowl running back: Miami and Buffalo.
“Cook is from Miami. He has made it known through sources he’d like to play either for the Dolphins or with his brother James Cook on the Bills,” Salguero wrote. “And the Vikings have let it known Cook probably isn’t in their future.”
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Salguero adds that the Vikings could use the June 1 deadline to their advantage by saving up to $9 million in cap room and carrying over $5 million in dead money.
“Had they cut Cook before June 1, the Vikings would have saved only $5.8 million on their cap and carried over $8 million in dead money for a player no longer on the team,” Salguero added.
Miami Dolphins
Byron Jones helped free up significant space for the Dolphins.
Miami made the decision to cut the cornerback before June 1. That decision also cleared room for the Dolphins to complete the trade for star CB Jalen Ramsey, bolstering the secondary in South Beach.
However, the Dolphins designated Jones as a post-June 1 move in an effort to spread out his remaining cap hit. In conclusion, Miami will now have $13.6 million in cap space for the month of June.
“We typically do everything we can to have the best team possible within the guidelines of the salary cap,” head coach Mike McDaniel said per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald Wednesday. “Not sure where, but I feel confident to say we will make good use of that salary cap room when it comes to the start of the regular season.”
Now, Miami could use that extra cushion to bring in Cook.
Offensively, Cook is a prime match for McDaniel’s zone-read ground attack, which has shades of the Vikings’ running schemes under Kevin O’Connell. Miami, though, struggled in establishing the run and finished 25th in rushing yards. Furthermore, the Fins didn’t produce a 1,000-yard back, and lead rusher Raheem Mostert is 31.
Cook, at 27, is young enough to galvanize and ignite this backfield as the Dolphins aim to become a contender in the AFC race.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills sound like they’re completely out of the DeAndre Hopkins picture, as a new report from Tim Graham of The Athletic Thursday shared new details on how the free agent wide receiver is a “long shot” to play in Western New York.
There’s been no mention of the Bills ruling out Cook, though.
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While the Bills added Damien Harris and Latavius Murray, both don’t have the credentials Cook has in his possession, including four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Of the two signings, Murray is 33, and Harris has never gone over the century mark.
The Bills may have ranked seventh in rushing yards last season. But this franchise hasn’t produced a 1,000-yard rusher since 2017. Cook would give the best chance to end that dry spell. Plus, he could form a talented trio featuring Josh Allen at quarterback and Stefon Diggs at wide receiver … which would give Bills fans memories of Jim Kelly, Andre Reed, and Thurman Thomas.
