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Ravens Sign Dalvin Cook From Practice Squad, Waive Melvin Gordon

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 11: Dalvin Cook #33 of the Minnesota Vikings runs the ball in the third quarter of the NFC Divisional Round Playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo: Getty)

The Baltimore Ravens added running back Dalvin Cook to their main roster Wednesday ahead of the AFC Divisional Round this weekend. The team will waive running back Melvin Gordon to make room for Cook.

This exchange of veteran running backs on the roster will not significantly impact the Ravens, the first-seeded team in the AFC heavily favored to beat the Houston Texans this weekend. But the team has been eager to add Cook to the main roster for some time after acquiring him near the end of the regular season.

“We view him as a potentially very valuable weapon on our offense,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters last week. “Dalvin Cook is a high pedigree, highly decorated player. He’s still got talent and ability, he’s smart, he’s in great shape. He’s in football shape, he looked very good in practice.”

Baltimore chose to keep Cook on the practice squad for the final game of the regular season, at which point the Ravens had already made the playoffs. The team then had a bye in the Wild Card round, making this weekend the first time that Cook can contribute to the team in a meaningful way.

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Cook last played for the New York Jets in Week 15 of the regular season, where he finished a disappointing stint with a single four-yard carry. The seven-year veteran mostly played behind Jets star Breece Hall and struggled in 2023, rushing for 214 yards on 67 carries.

In Baltimore, Cook will likely play a similar role as the team’s change-of-pace back behind the likes of Gus Edwards and Justice Hill. But the running back told reporters last week that he was eager to play for the Ravens in any capacity.

“You see the guys up front moving people,” Cook said. “For me, it’s always been electric getting behind a line like that. When the opportunity opened, I was ready to go.”

The Ravens are currently the second betting choice to win their year’s Super Bowl, trailing just the 49ers in the NFC. Quarterback Lamar Jackson is expected to drive Baltimore’s offensive production, but Cook will join an army of running backs at the team’s disposal.