Feb 5, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; NFC running back Dalvin Cook of the Minnesota Vikings (4) and AFC running back Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans (22) pose during the Pro Bowl Games at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
NFL: Pro Bowl-AFC at NFC
NEW YORK — Dalvin Cook is not happy.
When asked about his limited role with the Jets, Cook said, “Of course it’s frustrating. It’s new for me. I come from getting the ball 20 times a game. It’s something I’m adapting to.”
Cook added, “I want to play” and “I want the situation to be best for both sides.”
He says he still believes he’s the same player and asked what he’s going to do “with three touches.”
A healthy Breece Hall has all but relegated Cook to clipboard duties, as the veteran running has struggled immensely averaging a career-low 3.2 yards per touch and 2.8 yards per carry.
Cook, 28, was signed in August, but did not participate in OTA’s and did not play in the preseason.
It’s possible Cook could find himself traded by next week’s deadline, as the Jets appear to have little use for him at this point.
For what it’s worth, Saleh mentioned on Wednesday that Cook was “heating up.”
“If you really look at it and you say, ‘OK, the guy needs about four weeks of acclimation,’ that puts you around Week 5, which is Philadelphia,” Saleh said about Cook before Wednesday’s practice. “Where you start seeing him hit his top speeds, and his GPS numbers are improving.”
Cook ran the ball a whopping three times for 12 yards in the Jets Week six win over the Eagles, in which Saleh insisted that Cook “looked [his] best running the ball” this season.
“He’s getting better,” the Jets HC said. “I do think he’s getting his legs underneath him. I do think he’s running better with more violence and looking more like him. So hopefully we can continue to springboard that, but it could be a good one-two punch obviously with Dalvin and Breece.”
