The ‘Dalvin Cook to Miami’ Theory May Have Officially Died during the Draft
Josh Frey
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Over the course of the offseason, there has been plenty of speculation of a ‘Dalvin Cook to Miami’ trade. During free agency, the Minnesota Vikings brought back Alexander Mattison, who didn’t come to an agreement on a contract extension with the team last year because he was in pursuit of a starting role.
With Mattison getting a new contract with the Vikings, Minnesota drafting another running back for the third consecutive year, and Cook reportedly being unwilling to take a pay cut from his current cap hit of $14.1 million, the writing seems to be on the wall that Cook will not play in a Vikings uniform during the 2023 season.
However, it increasingly looks like his eventual next team will not be the Miami Dolphins. Not only did the Dolphins bring back Raheem Mostert in free agency, but they also drafted another running back last weekend.
With the 85th overall pick, Miami selected Texas A&M RB Devon Achane, adding yet another track star to what is already one of the fastest offenses in the NFL. Achane clocked a 40-yard dash of 4.32 at the scouting combine, and he was well-known for his explosive, breakaway speed throughout his time with the Aggies.
During his three years at Texas A&M, Achane recorded a total of 369 carries, 2348 yards, and 21 touchdowns. In 2022, he recorded his first 1000-yard season, putting up 196 carries, 1100 yards, and 8 touchdowns. A whopping 35 of his carries went for 10+ yards, per Pro Football Focus.
Coming off his huge season for the Aggies, Achane now joins a Dolphins offense that includes Mostert as well as Myles Gaskin and Jeff Wilson. Here are the career-high yards from scrimmage totals for these three players:
- Gaskin: 972 (2020)
- Mostert: 1093 (2022)
- Wilson: 1045 (2022)
With Achane joining this backfield, the Dolphins now have a promising rookie on top of three other backs who have approached, if not surpassed, 1000 yards in a season over the past three years.
On top of that, the Dolphins would find it tough to add a RB like Cook to their backfield without the Vikings taking on a significant portion of his cap hit for 2023. Currently, Miami has just under $2.9 million in cap space this season, and they’d have to make multiple moves in order to bring a fifth starting quality RB into the fold. Would it be worth the hassle for them to do so considering their depth? Probably not.
Taking all of that into consideration, it has felt unlikely for some time now that Cook would land in Miami, despite the feel-good story of his next NFL team being his hometown franchise. Perhaps a miracle can happen, but if Cook is dealt, it is likely that it will be a team other than the Dolphins.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.