About a year ago at this time, the Vikings cut veteran RB Dalvin Cook despite the fact he was coming off of his fourth-straight 1,000-yard rushing season and his fourth-straight Pro Bowl season. It was a shameless money-saving move, but the Vikings also had concerns about Cook starting to decline as he entered his age-28 season.

With the way the 2023 season played out for Cook, it appears Minnesota’s concerns weren’t entirely unfounded. Cook landed with the Jets on a pretty good deal for a veteran running back and was brought in to give New York a layer of security behind RB Breece Hall who was coming off of a torn ACL that ended an outstanding rookie season.

Hall ended up recovering faster than expected and the Jets’ offense cratered after losing QB Aaron Rodgers in Week 1. Cook had a nightmare season. He rushed just 67 times for 214 yards and didn’t score a touchdown. By the end of the season, the Jets worked out something to release him so he could try and catch on with a playoff team. He had a stint with the Ravens but his lone on-field appearance for them in the playoffs didn’t look much different, with eight carries for 23 yards.

That leaves Cook in an interesting situation. He’s not that far removed from being one of the NFL’s best running backs and there are mitigating factors to explain his struggles in 2023. Cook operates best as a volume back to get into a rhythm, and he was reduced to a handful of touches per game behind Hall. The Jets’ offense was also not conducive to any player having consistent success last year.

But when the end comes for running backs, it comes swiftly and without grace. History is filled with players whose production just fell off a cliff and never recovered. It remains to be seen if this is Cook’s story or if he has a little more left to give. The fact that he’s still available suggests the NFL has its doubts but once we get into training camp, Cook’s experience and likely low asking price could be attractive to some teams.

Cook, 28, is a former second-round pick of the Vikings back in 2017. He was in the third year of his four-year, $6.35 million rookie contract and set to make a base salary of $1.13 million for the 2020 season when the Vikings signed him to a five-year, $63 million extension through 2025.

Cook was due base salaries of $10.4 million and $11.9 million over the next two seasons when the Vikings released him last summer. He caught on with the Jets on a one-year deal worth $7 million but was waived at the end of the season and signed by the Ravens to the practice squad for the playoffs.

In 2023, Cook appeared in 15 games for the Jets and rushed 67 times for 214 yards (3.2 YPC) and no touchdowns, adding 15 receptions on 20 targets for 78 yards.

We have Cook included in our Top Available Free Agents list.