Dolphins RB depth chart with and without Dalvin Cook
The Miami Dolphins are already in a good place with their running back depth chart without star free agent Dalvin Cook.
They brought back their two leading rushers and all four of their active-roster tailbacks from last season. They added onto that by drafting Texas A&M speedster De’Von Achane, crowding the backfield further.
If the Dolphins land the four-time Pro Bowler Cook, it would merely be a luxury signing.
Cook, who has taken his time with the process since being released June 9 from the Minnesota Vikings but has a ticking clock within a month of training camps opening, has called Miami the “perfect fit.” Not only would joining mean a homecoming, but he can also easily slide right into the outside-zone scheme, which he’s familiar with.
Adding Cook immediately boosts a Dolphins run game that ranked 25th in 2022, but that was due in large part to the fact that coach Mike McDaniel went to the ground game the second-fewest times in the league.
Part of the reasoning there, McDaniel has noted in the offseason, was to manage the workload on top backs Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. as they nursed minor injuries. With Cook on board, he would emerge as the Dolphins’ clear lead back, but he doesn’t have to be a workhorse either.
He’s expected to be fully recovered from surgery on a torn labrum and shoulder troubles that go back three seasons, but he can simply lead Miami in touches without being overused. It also limits the workload on Mostert and Wilson rotating in — or Achane in the role McDaniel has planned for the versatile rookie.
Roster-wise, a Cook acquisition would just about secure which four running backs are making the active roster, bumping both Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin off their 53-man hopes. Without Cook, one of the Washington products that date back to the Brian Flores regime possibly make the team in a competition with one another.
Working in the Dolphins’ favor to land Cook is upward of $13 million the team has in cap space from the post-June 1 Byron Jones release. If no one else steps up and offers Cook something close to the double-digit million-dollar salary he patiently seeks, Miami can get him at a discount, which is a testament to the present day running back market.
Beyond the internal benefits of bringing in Cook, the move would also keep him from going to another contender, including two division rivals in the mix, the New York Jets and New England Patriots.
But the Dolphins’ current running back group, including Achane in his first month at team facilities, has worked well together.
“Overall, very happy with the way they’ve practiced, very happy with their competitive camaraderie,” McDaniel said at the conclusion of minicamp. “They’re 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.”
Dolphins running backs coach Eric Studesville backed up that notion.
“What you see in that running back room is that it’s intensely competitive, and these guys want to be good,” Studesville said.
“They’re unselfish in how they help each other, so they’re all on the same page trying to push this train forward. They’re all working as hard as they can, trying to push themselves to be better, trying to learn more about the scheme, trying to do whatever they can to help this team. I think that’s the biggest attribute of the room. It’s a good room to be in. It’s a lot of talented players in there.”
While the Dolphins ranked 25th in rushing offense, they were 19th in yards per carry. Mostert averaged 4.9 yards per carry and Wilson 4.7 with Miami after being acquired in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers.
Achane’s addition brings elite speed as the fastest running back in the past draft, but the Dolphins have all-around plans for him.
“What we’re trying to do is make him a complete back,” Studesville said. “It’s an intentional thing. We want to get him exposed to every part of our offense. He is getting used to the whole offense.”
That includes pass protection. Studesville liked Achane’s recognition of assignment in that area through minicamp, although he’ll get a better idea once Achane has to block with full pads on in training camp.
“He’s a good football player on tape,” Studesville said. “And that’s enhanced by the fact that he’s got the track record and the speed. Get a back that can run. Being around him, the one thing that you really feel is that you feel his size a little bit more when you’re around him.”
Dolphins rookies check in for training camp July 18 while veterans arrive July 25.
