Dolphins’ McDaniel declines to comment on Dalvin Cook, explains team-building approach

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel on Thursday declined to comment on the possibility of pursuing running back Dalvin Cook, who will reportedly be released by the Minnesota Vikings on Friday if they cannot find a trade partner.

“What I am excited about is talking about the most important thing, which is the third day of veteran minicamp,” he said.

Miami and Minnesota discussed parameters surrounding a trade earlier in the offseason but it did not come to fruition. The Dolphins have since re-signed all four running backs that were with the team in 2022 and selected De’Von Achane in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. McDaniel praised how the group has progressed through offseason workouts ahead of the third and final mandatory minicamp practice.

“It has developed into a really cool group,” he said. “We were really pumped to sign Jeff [Wilson Jr.] and Raheem [Mostert] in the offseason and the Washington boys [Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin] have been outstanding as usual ... and then we have a couple of rookies that have done a good job being rookies, which means learning from mistakes. ...

“Overall, [I’m] very happy with the way they’ve practiced, very happy with their competitive camaraderie. But they’re not doing it in spite of each other.”

Cook, a Miami native and Miami Central alumnus, has three years remaining on a five-year extension he signed in 2020. He has a base salary of $10.4 million this upcoming season but only $2 million — all in 2023 — is guaranteed. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been noncommittal about keeping Cook for the upcoming season. He turns 28 in August.

According to ESPN, the Denver Broncos also have an interest in Cook.

In 2022, Cook rushed for 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging a career-low 4.4 yards per carry. The four-time Pro Bowler has rushed for 5,993 yards and 48 touchdowns on a 4.7-yard average since entering the league as the No. 41 overall pick in the 2017 Draft.

The Dolphins haven’t invested significant resources into the running back position in recent memory. Achane was the highest running back for the Dolphins since 2016. And the team has opted for low-cost signings since McDaniel arrived. Asked asked about the team’s team-building philosophy, McDaniel said it is “case by case, but that’s intentional.”

“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,” he said. “... I see it as an ever-changing equation.”