Roughly two weeks after signing with them, Dalvin Cook is participating in his first practice with the Jets -- and for the first time this summer -- in preparation for the team's season-opener against the Buffalo Bills, according to head coach Robert Saleh. Cook will share a field in Week 1 with younger brother James Cook, the Bills' starting running back.
A four-time Pro Bowler with the Vikings, Cook is joining a Jets offense that is oozing with talent at the skill positions. The Jets offense also includes four-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers, former Packers wideouts Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson and former Chiefs receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. The Jets have also welcomed back running back Breece Hall, who recently returned to practice after recovering from last year's knee injury.
Rodgers, who faced Cook twice a year when the two were NFC North rivals, is excited to have Cook on his side for a change.
"Dalvin has got it done for a long time at a high level," Rodgers recently said, via the team's website. "He's motivated, he wants to win a championship. Obviously, he made it well known to me during the process that he wanted to play with me and play here, in Jersey, so we're excited to have him."
Cook rushed for 1,173 yards and eight scores last season while averaging 4.4 yards per carry. Cook also caught 39 passes for 295 yards and two scores while helping the Vikings win the NFC North title.
A featured back in Minnesota, Cook said that he will embrace whatever role the Jets ask him to fill. Winning, he said, is more important to him than statistics.
"It's a small window for that in this league," Cook said in regard to being on a championship-caliber team. "Me being in Year 7, I kind of know that, getting to playoff games and losing, getting to championship games and losing. You've got that small window of kind of figuring things out.
"I once said I could be a missing piece, but I know I can come here and help a team win, I know on the football field what I can bring to a team. I'm just here to be Dalvin Cook, be explosive and be a great teammate."
