Patriots risk losing out on RBs as they wait on Dalvin Cook

According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, “no signing was imminent then, but the sides could always revisit in the future.” 

New England’s lack of urgency could stem from their lingering interest in landing free-agent Dalvin Cook, as the team is widely considered to be a finalist to sign the four-time Pro Bowler. 

New England currently boasts the best odds in the NFL to sign Cook, followed by division rivals the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets.  

As NFL insider Adam Schefter highlighted this week on ESPN’s Get Up, the Patriots now have more financial wiggle room after losing out to the Tennessee Titans in the DeAndre Hopkins sweepstakes. 

“Let’s see if they take some of this money that could have been earmarked for DeAndre Hopkins and try to reallocate it to a player like Dalvin Cook,” Schefter said via Sophie Weller of AtoZ Sports Nashville. 

Cook is coming off his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard campaign and is clearly the cream of the crop of remaining free-agent running backs. However, if New England waits on Cook, who could opt to sign elsewhere, the team could miss out on quality rushers such as Fournette and Henderson in the process. 

Amid the franchise tag saga for Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs, expect clubs such as the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders to proactively add depth to their respective backfields in the coming weeks. 

Fournette and Henderson each have one Super Bowl victory under their belt thus far in their career. The latter has started 28 games since 2020 while the former has averaged 1,228 yards from scrimmage over the past two seasons. 

While Rhamondre Stevenson is expected to handle the majority of the workload in the Patriots backfield this season, the Patriots lack depth behind the one-time 1,000-yard rusher after losing Damian Harris in free agency. 

James Robinson, a two-year starter with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who New England signed earlier this offseason, was projected to fill the void left behind by Harris. However, Robinson’s stint in Foxborough was short-lived, as the team opted to cut him in June. 

Currently, veteran Ty Montgomery is penciled in as the No. 2 back behind Stevenson. Montgomery has toted the rock a total of just 36 times over the past three seasons.