Cook joins Ravens after passing through waivers

Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff WriterJan 4, 2024, 05:06 PM ET
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OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens signed running back Dalvin Cook to their practice squad on Thursday, according to a source, which could provide a boost to Baltimore’s backfield heading into the playoffs.

Cook, 28, went unclaimed on waivers Thursday after he was released by the New York Jets on Tuesday. Cook’s agency had told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Cook would be signing with the Ravens after he went unclaimed on waivers Thursday.

The Ravens (13-3), the AFC’s No. 1 seed who earned a first-round bye in the playoffs, can evaluate the four-time Pro Bowl running back over the next two weeks before Baltimore’s divisional round game on either Jan. 20 or 21.

Baltimore has the NFL’s No. 1 rushing attack, but its backfield has taken a hit due to injuries. The Ravens lost featured back J.K. Dobbins to a season-ending Achilles injury in the season opener and then watched explosive rookie Keaton Mitchell suffer a season-ending knee injury in Week 15.

Gus Edwards, Baltimore’s current No. 1 back, has scored 13 touchdowns, but he has struggled to produce big plays. He has averaged 40.6 yards per game rushing and 3.6 yards per carry over his past seven games.

The Ravens’ other running backs on their 53-man roster are Justice Hill and Melvin Gordon, a nine-year veteran who has 19 carries for 63 yards (3.3-yard average) in limited action.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson leads the Ravens with 821 yards rushing and has topped Baltimore in rushing six games this season. Baltimore has had only one running back run for over 80 yards in a game this season (Mitchell had 138 in Week 9).

Cook’s Jets exit was mutually agreed upon, a source told ESPN’s Rich Cimini. He also restructured his contract to forfeit remaining guarantees, a source told Schefter.

Cook’s playing time had been shrinking for weeks, and it hit rock bottom last Thursday night in Cleveland, where he was in uniform but didn’t play a single snap in the Jets’ 37-20 loss to the Browns — a career first.

In the 15 games in which he played for the Jets, Cook carried the ball only 67 times for 214 yards, a 3.2-yard average — 1.4 yards below his career mark. He played only 202 snaps on offense, his lowest tally since his injury-shortened rookie year with the Minnesota Vikings in 2017.

Cook’s free agent recruitment was one of the bigger stories of the summer, with the Jets finally landing him Aug. 14. It was a one-year, $7 million contract, including $5.8 million in guarantees. He said he picked the Jets because of the opportunity to play with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who wound up suffering a season-ending Achilles tear on the fourth play of the season.

In seven seasons, including six with the Vikings, he has 6,207 yards and 47 rushing touchdowns.