Will Jets' Dalvin Cook, Carl Lawson be moved by Tuesday's trade deadline?
Dalvin Cook and Carl Lawson might be on the move. Credit: Jim McIsaac
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – Dalvin Cook and Carl Lawson are surprised and frustrated by how little they’re being used by the Jets. Their names have come up in trade rumors and neither sounds as if they would be opposed to being moved.
The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday. The Jets already dealt Mecole Hardman, who played sparingly, back to Kansas City last week. It wouldn’t be surprising if Cook and Lawson were on different teams next week. Lawson might have more of a market since teams are always looking for edge rushers.
Both players said they haven’t asked for a trade, but they also seemed open to one.
“I’ve always wanted to help the Jets win,” Lawson said after practice Thursday. “I’ve always wanted to be the best version of myself for a team. But at the end of the day, I do want to be a football player, I do want to produce and I do want to help because I’m a football player not a cheerleader.”
Being in trade rumors is new for Cook, a four-time Pro Bowl running back with the Vikings. Like Lawson, he just wants to play.
“It’s all different for me,” Cook said. “But it’s something I can’t control, having my name floating around in trade rumors. Might be a good thing, may be a bad thing. You never know.”
Cook said he would not go to general manager Joe Douglas and request a change of address. However, he didn’t rule out sitting down with his agent and Douglas to figure out what’s “best for everybody.”
But Cook said he’s not thinking about it because would be “clouding my mind” and right now he’s only focusing on getting ready for the next game.
“I’m not going to JD’s office to tell him I want to be somewhere else or anything like that,” Cook said. “I’m just sharpening my iron, [getting] ready to go and I’m going to let the business side handle that.”
“As a player and as a man, I prepare myself, I work my tail off and I just want the situation to be best for both sides,” Cook added.
When the Jets signed Cook in August, the expectation was he and Breece Hall would split carries early while Hall recovered from a torn ACL. Hall is all the way back and Cook hasn’t been as involved.
Cook said he thought “teaming up with Breece would be the best thing in the world for the New York Jets.” It hasn’t worked out that way yet.
In Week 1, Cook had 16 touches. He’s had 16 total in the last three games. Cook, who ran for at least 1,135 yards in each of the past four seasons, carried the ball three times for 12 yards in the Jets’ last game.
Cook believes he can be the player he was with Minnesota with more touches. He’s carried the ball 39 times for 109 yards for a career-low 2.8 yards per carry.
“The average be down if you’re leaving the game with three carries,” Cook said. “Whenever them carries come my way, I’m going to be ready to explode, I’m going to be ready to be Dalvin.”
The Jets signed Lawson in 2021. He tore his Achilles tendon in the preseason and missed that season. He returned last year, played in every game and had seven sacks.
Lawson expected to have a big 2023, but he suffered a back injury in training camp and was passed on the depth chart by Jermaine Johnson. Lawson has only appeared in four games this season – a total of 73 snaps. He has three tackles and no sacks, and was a healthy scratch two games ago against Kansas City.
“I definitely feel like I can contribute a lot more,” Lawson said. “I want to play. I want to produce. I want to go out there and ball out and be a football player. That’s the most important thing to me.”
Lawson was reflective as he talked about his three years as a Jet and sounded as if he was saying goodbye.
“I’m a Jet right now,” Lawson said. “As long as I’m a Jet, I’m going to keep getting better. I’m going to try to produce as best as possible and be the best version of Carl Lawson I can possibly be. I know my talent, I know what I can do, I know I can produce. Everybody in here knows I can produce so it’s just one of those things.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
