The Baltimore Ravens, by virtue of finishing with the best record in the NFL, got to sit back and watch the other playoff teams duke it out in the Wild Card Round. But now that the dust has settled, and the Ravens now know their opponent for the divisional round with CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans punching their ticket into the second round of the proceedings, the real work begins.
In fact, the Ravens are now gearing up for their Super Bowl push by making a fringe roster move that could end up paying off in a big way. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Ravens have added running back Dalvin Cook to their 53-man playoff roster after making room by waiving Melvin Gordon III.
The Ravens added Cook to the practice squad two weeks ago with the intention of bringing him along for their playoff run. It's yet to be seen how John Harbaugh will deploy the 28-year old running back who played 15 games this season for the New York Jets in mostly a reserve role, but perhaps Cook could earn some snaps behind Gus Edwards and Justice Hill.
Dalvin Cook played in 15 games for the Jets in 2023, starting one of those contests. He fell off quite a bit from his usual level; after putting up a Pro Bowl season in 2022 by tallying 1173 yards on 264 carries, Cook's numbers dropped off drastically. In 2023, he put up just 214 yards on 67 carries, which was good for a paltry 3.2 yards per attempt — easily the worst mark of his career.
Moving to the Jets, a team that was in constant turmoil in the aftermath of Aaron Rodgers' injury, may have caused the drop-off from Cook. But the eye test shows that Cook may have slowed down a bit, which is concerning since he's only 28 years old. Nonetheless, it's a worthwhile gamble for the Ravens to bank on Cook's talent.
After all, Cook has a track record of consistent success, and perhaps playing off of Lamar Jackson on a loaded Ravens team could help get his career back on track after a rough 2023.
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