As the 2023 NFL trade deadline on October 31 approaches, teams around the league are gearing up to make moves. At the same time, media outlets are already in full gear, proposing hypothetical deals moving players from team to team. ESPN is no exception, and in a column by Bill Barnwell, one of the proposed moves is the New York Jets flipping running back Dalvin Cook to the Baltimore Ravens. It’s an interesting move for both sides, so let’s give this proposed Jets-Ravens Dalvin Cook trade a grade.
Before we jump into the actual deal and the grade, though, we need to set the scene.
The Minnesota Vikings, the team that drafted Cook in the second round out of Florida State in the 2017 NFL Draft released the RB this past offseason after six seasons in the NFC North. During his time in purple, Cook put up 5,993 rushing yards, 1,840 receiving yards, and scored 52 total touchdowns. Those numbers led to four Pro Bowl appearances along the way.
After his release, Cook flirted with several teams, including the Jets and the Miami Dolphins in his hometown. He ultimately signed with Gang Green on a one-year, $7 million contract with $5.8 million guaranteed.
Cook hasn’t played much or all that well with the Jets, as second-year sensation Breece Hall has come back and taken control of the backfield after tearing his ACL last season. Also, the team is in a wildly different spot than it thought it would be, as quarterback Aaron Rodgers went down with an Achilles injury on the fourth play of the 2023 NFL season.
For those reasons, Dalvin Cook is on the block at the 2023 NFL trade deadline, and Barnwell thinks a move to the Ravens would be best. Here’s what that deal would look like and how we would grade the trade.
Jets get a 2025 fifth-round pick for Dalvin Cook and a 2025 fourth-round pick
That is not a typo above. Barnwell believes Cook has “negative trade value” right now, thanks to the $262,000 per-week roster bonus the Jets owe him as long as he is on the team.
Plus, statistically, Cook has looked awful in the Jets’ Zach Wilson-led offense.
“Cook has been a total nonfactor for the Jets, averaging just 2.7 yards per carry this season. He has averaged a whopping minus-1.5 rush yards over expectation (RYOE), the second-worst mark in the NFL with backs who have had at least 30 carries, trailing only Cam Akers,” Barwell writes. “Cook [had] just 17% of the offensive snaps in Sunday's win over the Broncos, so with Cook's role diminishing on a team playing out a lost season, there's no real place for the veteran on New York's roster.”
To give Cook’s carries to third-string youngster Israel Abanikanda and save around $3.4 million, this Jets-Ravens trade would include a pick swap where the Jets move back a round in the 2025 NFL Draft.
On the one hand, this is a bit of a disaster, having to give up draft capital in order to jettison a player general manager Joe Douglas signed just a few months ago. However, things have changed rapidly for the Jets this season, and admitting defeat and moving on is not the worst option.
Only the team and front office know how unhappy the RB is right now with his current role, and if he is upset, getting rid of him makes even more sense on a team that is teetering on playoff contention.
I want to give Douglas and the Jets a D here for this blunder, but taking one on the chin for the good of the team (and to save some money) gets the trade grade bumped up just a smidge.
Jets grade: C-
Ravens get a Pro Bowl back and a bump up in the late rounds of the 2023 draft
If the Jets really would offer this to the Ravens at the NFL trade deadline, Eric DeCosta should accept before Douglas even finishes his sentence. This makes a ton of sense and is a low-risk, high-reward move for a team that is in Super Bowl, not just playoff contention.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense are finally getting going after a feeling-out process with new offensive coordinator Todd Monken. In Week 7, the unit seems to have finally turned a corner, beating the mighty Detroit Lions 38-6.
If there is a weak spot on the O, it’s at the running back position. Barnwell notes, “J.K. Dobbins is out for the year (Achilles), while Justice Hill has been battling a turf toe injury. General manager Eric DeCosta has turned to veterans Kenyan Drake and Melvin Gordon III with limited results.”
Enter Dalvin Cook, who could immediately get a shot at being RB1, which may boost his confidence and production with more reps. If the Ravens make this trade and get the Vikings Pro Bowler Cook, it could legitimately give them one of (if not) the best offense in the league.
And they get to move up one spot in the 2025 draft, which you know the shrewd Ravens front office loves.
Ravens grade: A
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