Just because the 2023 NFL draft is over doesn’t mean that the Miami Dolphins front office is closed until the regular season. Transactions happen all the time, and the Dolphins are no exception. Off-season moves are still likely, as well as Dalvin Cook playing for the Dolphins in 2023. Dalvin Cook playing for the Dolphins for the 2023 season still could happen.
Until September 10, 2023, the Miami Dolphins will still make transactions. Players will be released, cut, waived, and players will be signed, and some may even be traded. The biggest misconception I’ve heard all off-season is that the Dolphins won’t pursue Dalvin Cook anymore for a certain reason. And that misconception is because people believe it’s because they drafted Devon Achane, and the running back room is already full.
Drafting a rookie running back has never stopped a team from signing another running back the same year.
As far as the running back room being full, outside of rookies Devon Achane and Chris Brooks, only Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson signed a two-year deal. Both Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin signed only a one-year deal, so if Brooks doesn’t make the team, that only leaves Achane, Mostert, and Wilson for the 2024 season if they all remain with the team.
Some fans will argue that Devon Achane is the future of the Dolphins, so there is no need for Cook. But Achane didn’t even break the top ten of being the best running back ever at Texas A&M.
Because of the speed-based offense, Achane fits McDaniel’s offensive scheme better than other backs. But that doesn’t mean he will become first on the depth chart in year one. Even though there has been high praise for Achane in camp, we don’t know the end result of a rookie player. For instance, even though he was an undrafted free agent, McDaniel praised Zaquandre White last off-season, saying, “I’m impressed with, I call him Dr. White,” before White was released from the practice squad only to find a home with the Birmingham Stallions of the USFL this season. That doesn’t mean Achane will be released. But it does mean there are other running backs to consider besides him.
There is also another answer to the misconception about the running back room already set because it is full, with six running backs. There are no guarantees. Last season, Chase Edmonds was signed to a two-year deal, and Sony Michel signed a one-year deal. Edmonds didn’t make it through the season before he was traded, and Michel didn’t make it to the regular season before being released.
Some would even argue that Dalvin Cook is past his prime, playing already six NFL seasons. But that belief is only suppositional. Cook’s Minnesota Vikings predecessor, Adrian Peterson, led the NFL in rushing yards in his ninth season and was still rushing over 1,000 yards in his 14th season.
Those are all the reasons not to consider as a reason not signing Dalvin Cook. The reasons to sign Cook are simple. Chris Grier loves giving South Florida area natives or those that played at a Miami area college a chance to compete with the Dolphins. Sony Michel was from Broward County, Daewood Davis from Deerfield Beach, Freddie Swain from Ocala, Florida, Henry Columbi was from Hollywood, Florida, and Braxton Berrios and Jaelan Phillips played at the University of Miami. And there have been others that I’m not going to name. But the main point is that Dalvin Cook is from Miami as well.
Dalvin Cook has once admitted that he grew up a Miami Dolphins fan, and his favorite running backs were Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown. He has trained with South Florida trainer Nick Hicks for years. And certainly, there is communication between Hicks and Cook during training. And through the course of the off-season, Hicks has tweeted subtle messages that may or may not mean anything about Cook coming to Miami. But there are still no guarantees. And I’m respectful enough of Hicks not to mislead any reader into thinking that Hicks said that Cook is a 100% guarantee to Miami when he never said that, especially if the Dolphins choose to go a different route.
Hicks has, however, made some tweets that may suggest that the Dolphins will sign Cook after June 1st, when Byron Jones will be released with a post-June 1st designation. That will free up money to sign Cook if the Dolphins choose to do so. And even though a recent tweet from the Vikings camp suggests Cook is staying with the Vikings for less money this season, the tweet doesn’t mean that is 100% happening either. In all likelihood, I believe the chances would be higher that Cook is playing for the Dolphins rather than the Vikings in 2023. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.
Not only is Dalvin Cook still a real possibility to sign with the Dolphins before the season starts, but so are other transactions. Chris Grier is always looking to improve the team, and if that means signing another free agent or making a trade, it likely will happen. There are still question marks about the offensive line and tight end positions. It wouldn’t be surprising if another tight end or another offensive lineman is signed or traded for.
Camp bodies are always needed, and players are constantly released and added. And to get Coach Mike McDaniel’s perfect initial 53-man roster before the season, more transactions are most likely to happen.
