Who are a few teams from around the NFL that could fly in under the radar and make a trade for Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook this year?
Over the course of this offseason, there have been a few NFL teams that have been frequently mentioned as potential landing spots for running back Dalvin Cook if the Minnesota Vikings decide to move on from him.
Some of the teams that have been pointed to over and over again as Cook's possible next destination include the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, and Denver Broncos.
Sometimes, however, the final landing spot for a departing player isn't always the obvious one. So who are a few dark horse teams from around the NFL that could end up as the surprise winner in the Dalvin Cook sweepstakes this offseason?
Let's start with one squad from the NFC South that added a fan favorite from Minnesota's 2022 offense to their roster earlier this year.
Team No. 1
Carolina Panthers
Back in March, the Carolina Panthers added a bunch of new pieces to the offensive part of their roster, including longtime Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen.
In addition to Thielen, the Panthers also signed former Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders in free agency. Sanders is expected to get the bulk of the carries during the upcoming season, but the depth behind him on Carolina's roster isn't exactly ideal.
Chuba Hubbard is currently on track to open the 2023 season as the Panthers' No. 2 running back. Hubbard is decent in change-of-pace moments, but Cook would be a major upgrade over him if Carolina was able to acquire the Minnesota running back.
If the Panthers landed Cook, then they might not have to put so much of the workload on Sanders' shoulders. Carolina would be able to utilize both running backs and use each of them to keep the other one fresher for a longer period of time in each game.
Team No. 2
Baltimore Ravens
One might take a look at the Baltimore Ravens' current depth chart and see that they already have a solid No. 1 running back in J.K. Dobbins. However, Dobbins has missed at least nine games in each of his last two seasons, and the Ravens might want to add some insurance in the form of a trade for Dalvin Cook.
In addition to Dobbins' injury problems during the last two years, the running back that is expected to be Baltimore's backup in 2023, Gus Edwards, has also missed eight games or more in each of the last two seasons. So the top two running backs on the Ravens' depth chart heading into the 2023 campaign have both dealt with some pretty significant injuries in the recent past.
When considering the injury history of their top two backs, Baltimore making a trade for Cook before the start of the upcoming season is definitely believable. Once viewed as an injury-riddled running back himself, Cook would offer the Ravens a dependable option in their offensive backfield in 2023.
Team No. 3
Cleveland Browns
At the top of the Cleveland Browns running back depth chart is Nick Chubb, one of the best running backs in the NFL today. But behind Chubb is where things might start to get a little worrisome for the Browns in 2023.
Jerome Ford and Demetric Felton Jr. will likely be competing this summer for Cleveland's No. 2 running back job behind Chubb. Last season, Ford and Felton combined to rush for a total of eight yards, so it's fair to assume that the Browns could be concerned about the current depth behind Chubb.
If he were dealt to Cleveland this year, it likely wouldn't take Dalvin Cook very long to adjust to the team's offense since it's run by the team's head coach, and former Vikings offensive coordinator, Kevin Stefanski. Cook earned his first-career Pro Bowl selection back in 2019 when Stefanski was running Minnesota's offense, so he already knows how to get the most out of the talented running back.