Should the New York Jets acquire free agent running back Dalvin Cook?

A Pro Bowl back for the Jets to consider

Expectations for the New York Jets are sky high after acquiring Quarterback Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers. In line with those expectations, fans and the media have called for the New York Jets to acquire 2022 Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook as a potential means of improving their rushing attack.

However, while Dalvin Cook made the pro bowl last season, he wasn’t exactly efficient when given touches. To that point, Cook was among the worst scorers on estimated points added (EPA) per rush and rush yards over expected (RYOE), which are intended to evaluate how effective a player was on the average carry.

Using these metrics, Cook was about as effective as running backs Leonard Fournette and Antonio Gibson, who were both relegated to backup running back roles by year’s end due to their perceived poor performance. Additionally, Cook’s RYOE does appear to be declining in recent years, suggesting this is more a trend than a one-off struggle.

However, performance is hardly ever “all bad,” especially when a player rushes for 1,173 yards like Cook did in 2023. For those looking for a reason to value Cook, he does appear to still have the ability to break off chunk plays, as demonstrated by the high-end datapoints within his 2022 RYOE data.

What do you think? Should the Jets sign Cook?