Former Vikings RB Takes Another Step with Ravens for Playoff Run
Last June, the Vikings made the decision to release RB Dalvin Cook.
The former Vikings RB had just finished his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl season and had once again surpassed 1000 rushing yards. However, with the RB entering his age-28 season, and Minnesota having a chance to save large chunks of cap space, it was deemed time to move on from the veteran.
Most recently, Cook landed on the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad in order to help their backfield throughout the playoffs. On Thursday morning, Baltimore decided to sign the former Vikings RB to their 53-man roster, thus ensuring he will be active for their Divisional game against the Houston Texans.
Former Vikings RB Officially Signs with Ravens 53-Man Roster
Tom Pelissero of The NFL Network reported the news, tweeting, “Corresponding move: Baltimore is signing RB Dalvin Cook to the 53-man roster and he’s expected to make his Ravens debut in Saturday’s playoff vs. Houston, per his agency @LAASportsEnt.”
This decision came after Baltimore opted to release Melvin Gordon on Wednesday evening. Gordon had recorded 26 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown with the Ravens over four regular season games.
The Ravens had a pretty clear need for extra running back depth on their roster when they brought Cook aboard. They lost JK Dobbins to a torn Achilles in Week 1, and rookie standout Keaton Mitchell suffered a torn ACL back in Week 15.
Prior to joining the Ravens, Cook spent the first 17 weeks of the regular season with the New York Jets after leaving the Vikings. The hope was to compete for a Super Bowl with Aaron Rodgers, but the QB suffered a torn Achilles after just playing four snaps in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills.
Cook was rarely utilized in the backfield because of second-year RB Breece Hall eating up much of the snaps. Hall, coming off a torn ACL during his rookie season in 2022, was a spectacular player this season, totaling 223 carries for 994 yards and five TDs. He was a strong presence in the passing game as well with 76 receptions for 591 receiving yards and four receiving TDs.
Meanwhile, Cook put together just 67 carries for 214 rushing yards this season and had zero touchdowns with the Jets.
Now, though, Cook has a chance to rejuvenate his career with the Ravens over the course of this playoff run. Being signed to the 53-man roster almost fully ensures that he will take snaps with the offense in a backfield that only holds Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, and himself.
Kickoff between the Ravens and Texans is scheduled for 3:30 PM Central on Saturday, January 20th.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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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.