Dalvin Cook trade rumors: NFL insider drops update on Jets RB’s situation ahead of trade deadline
Dalvin Cook was shockingly released by the Minnesota Vikings ahead of the 2023 NFL season. He joined the new-look New York Jets to help them with their goal of getting back to the NFL Playoffs and ending the longest postseason drought in the league. While the Jets are currently playoff contenders with a respectable 3-3 record, Cook has struggled in his first year with his new team.
Among his frustrating numbers are his extremely disappointing 2.8 yards per carry this season. He has also been clearly eclipsed by Breece Hall, who has taken over as their featured back. All of this has reportedly resulted in the Jets shopping their veteran runnning back ahead of the 2023 NFL trade deadline, which is set for Oct. 31 at 4 p.m. ET.
While the Jets are apparently accepting trade offers for Dalvin Cook, NFL insider Dianna Russini recently reported that he may not have much of a market of interested teams.
Russini said on her personal X account:
"I was told the Jets aren’t getting many calls on Carl Lawson or Dalvin Cook…we will see if that changes after today’s games."
The Jets have reportedly let other teams know that Cook is available via trade, but have received little interest in making a deal with just two days remaining before the trade deadline. If they really want to move him, they may need to get a bit more proactive and begin seeking trade partners, rather than waiting for the phone to ring and an offer being made to them.
Why do the Jets want to trade Dalvin Cook?
Dalvin Cook was initially signed by the New York Jets to join Aaron Rodgers, who joined the team just weeks earlier. Cook was expected to form a tandem with Breece Hall, who was recovering from knee surgery. The general expectation was that Cook would get most of the backfield work in the earlier stages of the 2023 NFL season until Hall was hopefully healthy enough to build off of his extremely promising rookie campaign.
The Jets' desire to trade Cook is likely a combination of his disppointing start and Hall being ahead of schedule in his recovery. Cook is averaging the fewest yards per carry in any game of his carreer and hasn't exceeded 10 carries in any game since Week 1.
His 2.8 yards per carry is significanty lower than his 4.6 career average, so maybe another team change could get him back on track. If he is in fact traded, Hall would likely receive an even larger workload, with Michael Carter being elevated to their RB2.