3 Keys to the Patriots Signing Dalvin Cook Over the Jets
By Tyler Maher
3. The Patriots Have an Opening For Him
As far as landing spots go, New England’s running back room seems pretty ideal for Cook. The team already has an established RB1 in Rhamondre Stevenson, so Cook wouldn’t have to handle the lion’s share of the carries. That means fresher legs and fewer hits, which should help keep him healthy and extend his career.
The Patriots also don’t have much established RB depth beyond Stevenson. Second-year pros Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris are the backups, but neither one would be much of a threat to Cook, enabling him to slide into that RB2 (or perhaps more accurately, RB1-B) spot.
New England is a run-heavy team, too (especially after Jones’ interception problems last year), which ensures that Cook won’t become an afterthought in the offense. Even if he’s splitting snaps with Stevenson, he’ll still see plenty of work to keep him busy and put up good stats. Based on how brutal the free agent market has been for running backs this year, that should be one of his top priorities.
The Jets, on the other hand, probably want to let Rodgers air it out. After all, you don’t acquire Rodgers just to make him hand the ball off every play.
Cook would also have the chance to play for offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, who is respected as one of the better offensive minds in the league. That has to be appealing too, no?
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