After months of trade speculation, the Minnesota Vikings have parted ways with running back Dalvin Cook, saving the team nearly $9 million in cap space. While the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos have been closely linked for weeks as ideal suitors, there are no shortage of potential landing spots for one of the NFL's top running backs. That includes the Philadelphia Eagles, who have a chip on their shoulder after the Super Bowl.
The Eagles have assembled a stacked roster with a franchise quarterback, an elite offensive line, and arguably the league's top wide receiver duo on offense and a frightening defense that finished last season No. 1 in total defense and generated a whopping 70 sacks—the most from any team in 33 years and the third-most in NFL history.
Eagles GM Howie Roseman routinely pours premium resources into the trenches through the draft and finds proven, high-impact veterans in free agency for bargain prices.
Case and point—the wheeling-and-dealing Howie Roseman struck a brilliant trade for D'Andre Swift with the Lions for a 2025 fourth-round pick and a seventh-round pick swap during the 2023 NFL Draft. Swift quickly catapulted to the top of the Eagles' depth chart in the lead back role after the Eagles moved on from Miles Sanders.
A former 2020 second round pick, Swift has been plagued with nagging injuries in his first three seasons. But the Georgia product has been productive and electric when healthy, rushing for 1,680 yards and 18 touchdowns, while adding 156 catches for 1,198 yards and seven scores through the air in his career as a true multi-dimensional threat.
Swift was one of several draft-day steals made by Roseman. But despite his talent and added motivation of having a change of scenery to play for an elite team in a contract year, Swift hasn't proven he can be a workhorse back. In fact, he may have proven that he can't be one at the NFL level, as he's averaging just 959.3 all-purpose yards through three seasons.
Nevertheless, the Eagles seem to be committed to a committee approach out of the backfield. Philadelphia got one of the biggest bargains off the open market back in March, signing former Seahawks first-round pick Rashaad Penny to a one-year, $1.35 million contact ($600k guaranteed).
One of the league's most injury-prone players at any position, Penny didn't live up to the hype in Seattle due to all of his injuries. He's been limited to just 18 games over the last three seasons, but he's also been one of the league's most lethal home-run threats when he's on the field. When healthy the last two years, he's averaged an eye-popping 6.2 yards per carry.
Kenneth Gainwell is the Eagles' No. 3 back. In his first two seasons, he's rushed for 531 yards and nine touchdowns on 121 carries (4.4 YPC), while adding 56 receptions for 422 yards and a score as a complimentary back and pass-catching specialist.
Gainwell saw more than seven touches just twice during the 2022 regular season, but he was afforded far more opportunities in the playoffs (236 total yards and a score on 40 touches) in blowout wins over the Giants and 49ers and a gut-wrenching Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs. But with the arrival of Swift and Penny, we don't expect Gainwell's role to change without any injuries.
But with the lengthy injury history of Swift and Penny, Howie Roseman and the Eagles should break the NFL with a splash move and sign Dalvin Cook and take their offense to new heights. The Eagles are currently sitting right in the middle of the pack with $12.7 million in cap space among their top 51 players, per Spotrac.
Turning 28 in August, Dalvin Cook might be past his prime, but he's still one of the top available free agents and remains one of the best running backs in the league. Injuries have also plagued Cook throughout his career, but the former 2017 second round pick has still been the model of consistency, rushing for at least 1,135 yards with Pro Bowl honors in each of the last four seasons. He's the only running back in the NFL to achieve either one of those milestones.
In six seasons in Minnesota, Cook has rushed for 5,993 yards and 47 touchdowns on 1,282 carries (4.7 YPC), while adding 221 receptions for 1,794 yards and five scores out of the backfield.
Cook's presence would take some of the pressure off of star quarterback Jalen Hurts around the goal-line and provide the Eagles with the deepest group of running backs in the NFL.
Despite his age and significant workloads, Cook remains one of the fastest and most explosive backs in the league. At the very least, Cook would provide some big-play ability and much-needed injury insurance. At his best, Cook can be one of the top weapons in an already extremely dangerous Eagles offense.
Adding Cook to an offense that already features A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and electric, albeit injury-prone backs in D'Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny would provide defensive coordinators with plenty of restless nights.
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