The Minnesota Vikings will be releasing 27-year old veteran running back Dalvin Cook, and yes the Cleveland Browns should be interested. Cook is coming off his fourth straight 1,000 yard season and has been a consistent presence in the passing game during his time in Minnesota. Before we get too far, this is not about moving on from or phasing out Nick Chubb in any way. This is about adding more depth to the Browns offense and giving the best running back in the NFL a productive backfield partner.
As things currently stand, the Browns backfield after Chubb is nothing impressive. There is hope that Jerome Ford can take a step forward and become a good backup to Chubb, but now is not the time for hope for Cleveland. Now is the time to add proven commodities to their offense in order to get them where they need to go. There is also the fact that Cook is a consistent threat in the passing game, an area that Chubb is not necessarily the strongest in. The past few seasons have seen the now departed Kareem Hunt attempt to fill that role, but he was never the best fit for what the Browns were doing offensively. Hunt was able to make the occasional splash play, but there was a lot of inconsistency and underwhelming results during his time in Cleveland.
Familiarity and a sense of urgency could play a role
It should also be mentioned that Dalvin Cook is familiar with Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski as he was with Minnesota before coming to Cleveland. Stefanski’s lone season as Vikings offensive coordinator saw Cook break out for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground in addition to 53 receptions for 519 yards in the passing game. It seems pretty safe to say that Stefanski knows how to utilize Cook in an offensive scheme.
Another thing to consider would be limiting the wear and tear on both Chubb and Cook. Both are 27 and have a similar number of carries 1,210 – 1,282 respectively. There is a way to maximize the talents of both backs at the same time while prolonging the length of their effectiveness. Utilizing both players would help prolong the steep drop-off in play that comes for running backs their age and may even help them avoid it altogether.
The fact of the matter is that the Browns must continue to add to their team in order to close the gap between themselves and the championship contenders. Adding Cook would certainly help in that area and may in fact help them contend for the division. There is also the whole thing about putting another quality skill position player around Deshaun Watson, but that was a given.
The reality is that this is a defining season for this front office and coaching staff. They know their jobs are on the line if they do not win this season. With that in mind this regime should do anything and everything they can to avoid having another season with excuses attached at year’s end.
