CANTON, OH — It seems only fitting a few hours before the New York Jets kick off their 2023 preseason game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, an update on a key free agent has broken through again.
Outside of the endless practices that come from training camp, Gang Green is still waiting on a decision from free agent running back Dalvin Cook on potentially joining the team for the 2023 season. Cook visited the Jets last weekend where the two sides spoke about his expectations for the upcoming year and the potential for a new contract.
It doesn’t seem like the two sides agreed on a role for the four-time Pro Bowl running back according to Diana Russini of ESPN.
“I think this team is very certain about their identity and who they want playing in which roles,” Russini said on the Pat McAfee show Thursday afternoon. “Breece Hall is their guy. Would it be nice to have the insurance of a Dalvin Cook-type player while Breece can slowly get back to 100%? Of course. But if you’re Dalvin Cook, you want to be the feature back. I’m not sure if both sides are on the same page with that role.”
Hall suffered a torn ACL midway through the 2022 season but the Jets have maintained the stance that they expect him to be ready for the start of the 2023 regular season. Last year’s second-round pick started training camp on the PUP list.
The Jets are one of several AFC East teams in consideration for the former Minnesota Viking. Originally the belief was that Cook wanted to go back home to Florida and play for the Miami Dolphins but recent reports have stated that Miami has not offered a deal that has been good enough for the running back to accept.
Miami’s inclusion in the Cook talks also muddies the waters for the Jets as well. New York had reportedly wanted to hear from Cook why he wanted to join Gang Green in the first place on their visit, so as not to have them give a good offer, only to have the running back go back to the Dolphins for a final chance. Such an event happened last season when All-Pro wideout Tyreek Hill used the Jets as leverage for a long-term deal with their AFC East rivals.
New England and Buffalo are also thought to have an interest in Cook’s services.
Cook is coming off his fourth consecutive season tallying over 1,000 yards rushing. He has totaled just 1,500 touches in his six-year career – a relatively low mark for a player about to turn 28 in a week.
New York could certainly use Cook and a healthy Hall as one of the most dangerous 1-2 running back tandems in football should they get both to agree on the change. Both backs can make splash plays in a variety of ways and both have the size to carry the load for an entire offense.
It doesn’t seem that Cook is all too pleased with sharing the duties of a feature back for the Jets. As August continues to roll along, New York and the rest of the NFL will ultimately need to decide if Cook’s patient waiting game is worth the stress, or if they are better off with their backs already on the roster.
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