In Dalvin Cook’s first NFL game in September 2017, he blasted for 127 yards on 22 carries.
Among those watching on the Minnesota side: George Paton, then the Vikings assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel.
On the opposing sideline: The New Orleans Saints and head coach Sean Payton.
So, with news Thursday that Minnesota is set to release Cook, now a six-year veteran, on Friday if it cannot find a last-minute trade partner, it would be fair to posit that not many other teams in the league are as familiar with Cook as Denver’s braintrust is.
The question, then: How interested will Paton, Payton and company be?
Cook, 27, is undoubtedly a dynamic threat. He’s topped 1,100 rushing yards each of the past four years and has logged 34-plus catches each of the past five. He’s scored 52 career touchdowns and averages 4.7 yards per carry since getting drafted No. 41 overall in 2017.
The Broncos, meanwhile, have jettisoned three running backs in the past 10 days and currently have five on the roster. One way to read that is they’re encouraged by Javonte Williams’ progress back from a major October knee injury — he’s been a limited participant through OTAs — and they have a good handle on what their backfield will look like. Their offseason stockpiling of backs, including the free agent additions of Samaje Perine and Tony Jones, Jr., put them in position to look at other spots and move on from Jacques Patrick, Tyreik McAllister and Damarea Crockett.
The other read: Denver figured Cook would come available in some form or fashion and positioned itself to make a run at him when it happened.
Payton on Thursday made the former sound more like Denver’s approach.
“I’m confident and pleased with where Javonte is and part of it is normal with this roster,” he said of the running back attrition recently. “You’re going to churn certain position groups based on the chance to get to look at other players. And it just so happened that a couple of them were at running back.”
It certainly seems as though Williams’ recovery so far has surprised Broncos officials at least to some degree. Paton was careful earlier in the offseason not to put a timetable on his return and wouldn’t commit to him being back by the start of the regular season. Payton more recently suggested some of Denver’s free agency moves came when they weren’t sure what progress Williams would make this offseason.
So, does Denver really need another back? Not if they’re as confident in Williams and Perine as a one-two punch as they’ve projected in recent weeks. But the Broncos also had about $10 million in cap space before agreeing to a one-year deal with veteran pass-rusher Frank Clark on Thursday.
A head coach with a knack for using playmakers in creative ways and a general manager who watched Cook turn himself into one of the league’s best running backs in Minnesota could decide to use part of what’s left over on the Vikings back.
Cook could have a robust market — and command a big salary — in his upcoming free agency.
A cleaner fit positionally for the Broncos might be another Vikings standout: Edge rusher Danielle Hunter. Or, that was at least true for 2023 until the Broncos landed Clark on Thursday.
Long-term, Hunter is still interesting after multiple outlets reported Minnesota has fielded calls regarding Hunter, 28, as the sides haven’t come to an agreement on a lucrative extension.
The 6-foot-5, 265-pounder has 71 career sacks and has recorded 10.5 (2022), 14.5 (2019) and 14.5 (2018) in his last three healthy seasons. The Broncos have depth questions on the edge, especially given the uncertainty about Randy Gregory’s ability to stay heathy.
Hunter would look pretty darn good as the team’s long-term answer to the post-Bradley Chubb/Von Miller era on the edge.
The issue: He’s not going to get released this offseason and, given the receiving team in a potential trade would only be on the hook for about $5 million to Hunter, the asking price is almost sure to be a premium pick.
Denver swapped its second-rounder for New Orleans’ third-rounder in the Sean Payton trade, then dealt whichever is later between that third-rounder and its own in order to move up in the draft last month and select cornerback Riley Moss.
That leaves the Broncos with their first-rounder, no second and one third.
Worth it to clear out another batch of draft capital? A player like Hunter will make the Broncos think, especially if a long-term deal gets worked out simultaneously and considering Gregory’s contract is set in a way that would allow Denver to potentially move on after 2023 with only modest salary cap pain.
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