As if the splash of trading for Aaron Rodgers wasn’t enough, the New York Jets added Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook through free agency to give their offense an all-new look. Expectations are sky-high for the Jets in 2023, with some even anticipating a run to the Super Bowl for the first time in over five decades.
Cook certainly fueled the fire while speaking to the media on Tuesday, explaining his delight at joining the Jets and declaring he is “ready to go” — just after completing his first practice with the team.
“I’m part of the Jets now”
Cook, a four-time Pro Bowl selection while playing for the Minnesota Vikings, signed with New York earlier this month on a one-year, $7 million deal. The 28-year-old told reporters Tuesday that he already feels integrated within the Jets’ locker room and is looking forward to “having fun” this season.
Cook — whose 47 career rushing touchdowns are the eighth-most among active players — had been spending time with his newborn son before joining his new teammates on Tuesday. While the six-year veteran clearly feels he’s ready for Week 1 action, head coach Robert Saleh took a more pragmatic viewpoint as to Cook’s availability against the Buffalo Bills.
“I think in his mind, he probably feels like he can take 30 touches, but we just have to be smart with him, make sure we’re constantly communicating with him and just being diligent,” Saleh said.
Big goals in the Big Apple
Cook‘s role isn’t exactly known yet. The Jets want to make sure to continue developing young running back Breece Hall, whose rookie season ended after only seven games due to a knee injury. If both players are healthy, New York will have a balanced attack that could be tough for many defenses to stop.
Maybe that’s the chief reason that Cook believes any Super Bowl chatter around the Jets is warranted after their flurry of offseason activity — which, of course, included landing one of the modern era’s great quarterbacks.
“Obviously you look at the roster, you look at the people we’ve added and the things that we already had, just combining that in one, and I think it’s something to be excited about. We just gotta go out there and do our part,” Cook said. “That’s why I came, that’s why I’m here, to help any way I can to get to where we need to go, and that’s holding up the trophy, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
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