Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Dalvin Cook is officially being released by the Vikings, but which possible landing spots should be knocking down the door to sign the running back now?
We knew it was coming, but now it’s here — on Thursday morning, news broke that the Minnesota Vikings are planning to release running back Dalvin Cook.
The move will save the Vikings $9 million this year and will free them up on offense to potentially reshape things, particularly financially, but no longer being so pot-committed to a running back, particularly one who has shown some mild signs of a decline in terms of his efficiency and productivity in recent years.
With that being said, that slight decline still has still seen Cook be an above average player in Minnesota. He’s rushed for 1,100 yars in each of the past four seasons and has averaged more than 4.4 yards per carry in all six of his NFL campaigns. Because of that, he should have a quality market in free agency.
But where are the best Dalvin Cook landing spots to consider? These four teams stand out as teams that should be eager to get on the phone to try and sign the running back.
Dalvin Cook landing spots: 4 teams that should be knocking down door for RB
4. Chicago Bears could be a perfect Dalvin Cook landing spot
The majority of the NFL world expected the Chicago Bears to be massive spenders in free agency given the abundance of cap space they came into the offense with. What was shocking was that, though they did make some high-priced moves, Ryan Poles and the front office played things relatively passively in relation to the expectation.
As a result, the Bears are still flush with cap room. And it just so happens that their former division rival in Dalvin Cook could slot in quite nicely to the offense around Justin Fields.
There is a lot to like about the trio of running backs currently in Chicago with D’Onta Foreman, Roschon Johnson and Khalil Herbert. At the same time, though, none of those players appear to have a leg up as a surefire No. 1 option out of the backfield.
With that being said, the rushing ability of Fields and the improving but still lacking of weapons around the quarterback mean that the Bears could be far more dangerous with the more quality playmakers they can add to the offense. Cook, even with his recent slight decline, could be exactly that.
Chicago’s flexibility financially to be able to sign Cook easily — and possibly to a more lucrative deal than other landing spots could offer — and the potential fit in the offense should make staying in the NFC North an option for the running back.
