Dalvin Cook Signing with Commanders? Not a 'Shock' To Scouts
You can never have too many weapons. That statement especially holds true when you're a team like the Washington Commanders, who will likely start second-year quarterback Sam Howell under center.
With Howell only making one start in his career along with learning a new system under offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, it's unknown what to expect from the potential first-year starter.
NFL analysts Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks of the Move The Sticks Podcast each picked the Commanders as a potential playoff team. However, Brooks said he wished Washington had a "marquee running back."
He then took things a step further by saying that if he could gift Washington one player, it'd be free agent running back Dalvin Cook.
"Dalvin Cook in that uniform changes how you have to play their offense," Brooks said. "It opens up the field for [Terry] McLaurin and those playmakers on the outside. That would be the team if I could gift them a marquee player, I would gift them Dalvin Cook and that situation. If he's there, that changes everything."
Jeremiah said it "wouldn't shock him" if he ended up with the Commanders given how Washington's coaches "value the run game."
The addition of Cook would be perfect given Brooks' expectation for Howell to "not mess it up" rather than being the engine that makes Washington's offense go.
Brooks also noted that Washington running back Brian Robinson Jr. played well as a rookie. Robinson ran for 797 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games in 2022.
While Robinson may be poised to have a big year if he stays healthy, there's no questioning what Cook would bring to the Commanders' offense.
Cook, who was released by the Minnesota Vikings on June 8th, has run for over 1,000 yards and scored at least six touchdowns in four straight seasons. He has also made four straight Pro Bowls.
The addition of Cook could also help ease the burden on a Commanders' defense that was seventh in points allowed per game in 2022.
"If the Commanders are able to run the football, and not have to put it on Sam Howell, they can win some of these grudge matches, some of these low-scoring affairs and find their way into the postseason," Brooks said.
Regardless of how realistic a deal between Washington and Cook could be, the idea makes plenty of sense. The former All-Pro running back can ease the burden on Howell and would give Washington another dimension to its offense. Cook also wouldn't have to carry the whole workload with Robinson and Antonio Gibson in the fray.
The Commanders will likely see wholesale changes if they go a third straight year without making the playoffs. With the pressure of having to win now, signing Cook may be exactly what they need to get over the hump.
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