NFL Betting News: New York Jets sign Dalvin Cook

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Back in June, the Minnesota Vikings released Dalvin Cook even though he was coming off four straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons and four straight Pro Bowl appearances. Cook was to make about $10 million for Minnesota but the Vikes clearly thought they could spend that money better elsewhere and turn to young and cheaper Alexander Mattison as their new featured back. Keep reading the NFL betting news to following close the start of the 2023/24 Season.

NFL Betting News: Dalvin Cook Joins New York Jets To Form Terrific Backfield With Breece Hall | NFL Lines by MyBookie

Cook seemed to focus on every AFC East team at one point: New England, the New York Jets, Buffalo and Miami. The latter two made a lot of sense as Cook’s younger brother James is a second-year running back on the Bills and Cook is from the Miami area. The Patriots officially exited the free-agent running back market on Monday by signing former Dallas Cowboy Ezekiel Elliott, and Cook has landed with the Jets to form a potentially lethal backfield with second-year player Breece Hall.

Cook ranked sixth in the NFL in 2022 with 1,173 rushing yards, highlighted by his career-long 81-yard touchdown run at Buffalo, which also was the second-longest run in the NFL last season. Cook also had a spectacular 64-yard catch-and-run touchdown on a screen against the Colts. The one-play scoring drive and a subsequent 2-point conversion pass tied the game at 36 with 2:15 remaining as the Vikings overcame a 33-0 halftime disparity for the largest comeback in NFL history.

True, Cook’s yards per carry (4.4) last season was the second-lowest mark of his career, but Vikings’ blocking did him no favors, and Cook did amass more yards after contact per carry (3.18) than all but one other season in the NFL. He performed in big games and hauled in key passes at critical times.

Point is, Cook is still a good player and only 28. In fact, he’s the only NFL player to rush for at least 1,110 yards in the past four seasons. Cook and Cleveland’s Nick Chubb are the only players with four straight 1,000-yard active seasons. New Jets QB Aaron Rodgers, who obviously knows Cook well from those Packers-Vikings games, wanted Cook and took a pay cut to make it happen. Reportedly, the former FSU star gets $8.6 million for one year. He is coming off shoulder surgery in the offseason so will not start practicing with the Jets until next week at the earliest, so he’s very unlikely to play in the preseason.

The Jets started 5-2 last season, but that fifth win was super costly as Hall and starting offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker both suffered season-ending injuries against the Broncos in Week 7. New York then lost 8 of their final 10 games, and averaged the fewest points and yards per rush in the NFL during that span.

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Hall suffered a torn ACL against Denver but had been spectacular before that with 681 yards from scrimmage on just 99 touches (rushes and receptions). Those yards were the most by a Jets player through seven games since the merger. His 5.8 YPC and 6.9 yards per touch in 2022 were both the second-highest by a rookie since 1970 behind only Bo Jackson in 1987 (minimum 10 carries per game and three games played as a rookie).

Hall was activated off the physically unable to perform list on Tuesday and is on track it appears for Week 1 – although he surely won’t play in the preseason, either. Hall is expected to be limited in his return as the Jets ramp up his workload.

“We’re gonna take our time with him like I’ve said from the beginning, but if you ask him he’s ready to go now,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh said Tuesday. “He’s champing at the bit, he wants to get in there with his teammates, but to have him back out there in pads, man he looks freaking good. Just his size, like Jermaine Johnson he’s morphed his body. He looks explosive, he looks powerful, so we’ll get him in, we’ll ease him in, but right now it’s just acclimation.”

Now the Jets have some insurance if Hall has a setback or the like. This news will make it tough for either Michael Carter or Zonovan Knight to make the initial 53-man roster. The Jets are locked into Hall and Cook for this season and rookie Israel Abanikanda is also expected to make the team.

When Hall is fully healthy and returns, the Jets are loaded on offense with weapons ranging from Rodgers, Cook and Hall to Garrett Wilson, Mecole Hardman, Allen Lazard, Corey Davis and Tyler Conklin. Wilson is the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year.

New York remains a 2-point home underdog for Week 1 against Buffalo when Cook will get to face off against his brother James.

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