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The Ravens signed RB Dalvin Cook to their practice squad on Thursday after he parted ways with the Jets. He joins Gus Edwards and Justice Hill in the running back mix but here is why Cook could be Baltimore’s RB1 during its playoff run.
Fresh legs
Cook is bringing something to the Ravens that not a lot of teams can say they have this time of year and that’s fresh legs. He carried the ball just 67 times for 214 yards with the Jets this season. Meanwhile, Edwards and Hill have already combined for 272 carries for 1,149 yards.
The 28-year-old won’t come in and be the every-down bell cow, but he will certainly help Edwards and Hill stay fresher. If he takes advantage of his early touches, it may just lead to him being the back that touches the ball the most each game.
High pedigree
Cook, a second-round pick by the Vikings in 2017, was a 1,000-plus-yard rusher for four straight years from 2019-22. If he had been given a true opportunity in New York, he may have made it five straight years.
Now the four-time Prow Bowler will get the chance to prove the Jets wrong for not using him when they had him. He clearly has a much higher upside than Edwards, an undrafted rookie in 2018, and Hill, a fourth-round pick in 2019, and will certainly be allowed to prove that in Baltimore.
Time to catch up
Joining a team late in the season is never an easy thing to do. Luckily for Cook, he has about two and a half weeks to get caught up since the Ravens (13-3) have locked up the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Baltimore is resting some of its starters in Week 18 and will get to enjoy a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
That means Cook has plenty of time to get caught up on the playbook. The seven-year veteran shouldn’t have a problem picking up the offense now on his third team in the NFL. The Ravens took a chance on Cook, and it could pay big dividends.
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