The Dolphins have a clear connection to Dalvin Cook, but should they pursue him?

On Thursday morning, Dalvin Cook posted a video to his Twitter account of his 53-yard touchdown run against the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium last season.

Not too long after, news broke that made the chances of Cook reaching the Dolphins’ end zone more often — but as a member of his hometown team — more of a possibility.

According to multiple reports, the Minnesota Vikings are expected to release the 27-year-old running back on Friday if they cannot find a trade partner. It would put months of speculation about his future to an end and make one of the league’s most accomplished backs a free agent.

The Dolphins and Vikings discussed a trade for Cook, a Miami native and Miami Central alum, earlier in the offseason but it did not come to fruition. Miami is expected to make an offer for Cook if he is released, a league source told the Miami Herald, and there is expected to be mutual interest from Cook. But the team will have competition for the four-time Pro Bowler. According to ESPN, the Denver Broncos are also expected to have interest.

When asked on Thursday about the possibility of pursuing Cook, head coach Mike McDaniel declined to comment. But internally, the Dolphins will have to weigh multiple factors, including cost, their value of the position and the potential of their in-house options.

On-field impact and current options

As a trade for Cook failed to materialize, the Dolphins signed all four running backs who were on the active roster last season – Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin. Miami also used a third-round pick on De’Von Achane, who impressed during offseason practices.

McDaniel has spoken glowingly about Mostert and Wilson, with whom he has a relationship dating to their time with the San Francisco 49ers. And while Cook, who turns 28 in August, recorded his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season in 2022, he averaged a career-low 4.4 yards, which was fewer than Mostert (4.9) and Wilson (4.7).

Advanced stats paint a more unfavorable picture. According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Cook ranked 41st among 48 qualifying players in rush yards over expectation per attempt, the difference between actual rushing yards and expected rushing yards on an individual play or series of plays. Mostert ranked 36th, while Wilson ranked 18th.

Cook, though, would unquestionably be the most talented running back on the team and would help in efforts to improve a rushing game that was tied for 18th in yards per attempt (4.3). His one-cut ability would mesh well with McDaniel’s outside zone scheme. But for a player at a position that has seen diminishing returns as one approaches 30 – Cook has also dealt with his share of injuries – in a pass-heavy offense, it’s fair to question how much of an improvement it would make to the overall unit.

“Overall, [I’m] very happy with the way they’ve practiced, very happy with their competitive camaraderie,” McDaniel said of his current running back room. “They’re all trying to be the best, but they’re not doing it in spite of each other. They recognize that each one of them can help each other get better. So it’s been a cool camp for them.”

Cost

The Dolphins have about $15 million in cap space, according to NFLPA’s salary cap report, after getting over $13 million from the release of Byron Jones and then signing three of four draft picks.

Cook, who has three years remaining on a five-year extension he signed in 2020, has a base salary of $10.4 million this upcoming season but only $2 million — all in 2023 — is guaranteed. That salary would rank fourth among running backs.

If he reaches free agency, Cook is not expected to field offers with the idea of joining a team at a huge pay cut from that salary. And if the Dolphins were to acquiesce to those demands, it would mark a drastic change for a team that hasn’t allocated significant resources to the position in recent years.

The selection of Achane was the highest pick the Dolphins have used on a running back since Kenyan Drake in 2016. Last offseason, Miami signed Chase Edmonds to a two-year deal that averaged a little more than $6 million. That was the largest deal in terms of average annual value the Dolphins have given to a back since Reggie Bush and Jordan Howard got deals averaging $4.875 million in 2011 and 2020, respectively.

Asked about the team’s team-building approach and positional value, McDaniel said decisions are “case by case but that’s intentional.” But the Dolphins have shown the willingness to use major resources, whether it be draft picks or cap space, bring in premier talent.

Will they do the same for Cook?

“I think that sometimes in the effort to have a philosophy, you can pigeonhole yourself into a formula that I don’t think any formula is the same,” McDaniel said. “… I see it as an ever-changing equation.”