5 NY Jets most affected by the Dalvin Cook signing

Dalvin Cook has signed with the NY Jets! For some players, that is a reason to stand up and rejoice, but for others, it may be a reason to start preparing for opportunities somewhere outside of Florham Park.

For the team as a whole, this is largely a positive signing that shows that the Jets front office is 100 percent serious about going all-in for a Super Bowl this year and utilizing the money Aaron Rodgers left for them by taking a pay cut with the team.

Let's take a look at the players most affected by this addition to help determine what the future holds for them.

5. Zonovan Knight, RB, NY Jets

The undrafted running back from last year made quite the splash when given an opportunity in 2022. He broke the Jets record for most scrimmage yards in their debut game and continued to hold on to that starting job through the rest of the season.

With the coaching staff's affinity for Michael Carter and the front office's decision to draft Israel Abanikanda in the fifth round of this year's draft, he was already a player that was fighting to stay afloat in a very crowded running back room.

The addition of Dalvin Cook might actually put an abrupt end to his tenure with the Jets, as Breece Hall, Dalvin Cook, and the aforementioned Abanikanda are locks to make the 2023 roster. That leaves it up to Michael Carter and Knight, and at this point, it's anyone's guess who will be the odd one out.

There are arguments for both sides and perhaps Knight's biggest advantage is the versatility of his usage in special teams as well as traditional running back duties.

If that is enough to keep him as a 'Swiss army knife' for the coaches to use whenever needed, then he remains a Jet. If not, this might've been the move that alters the rest of his career as we know it.

4. The NY Jets offensive line

Yes, the offensive line is an entire unit of players as opposed to just one player, but this unit is certainly impacted by this signing. Unlike Knight, Cook's presence should have a very positive impact on a unit that is looking to bounce back from a year marred by a rash of injuries, inconsistencies, and overall abysmal numbers.

For all the talk being made of Dalvin Cook "losing a step," he still averaged 4.4 yards per carry behind an offensive line that was below average when completely healthy.

If the Jets' line can remain relatively healthy, they should perform better than Minnesota's did last year. They will benefit from having a back with the vision and burst of Dalvin Cook to explode through the right holes.

To compare, even Zonovan Knight, who "broke out" last season, still only had an average of 3.5 yards per carry last year. Cook's 4.4 last year is the lowest of his career, but again, his offensive line wasn't as good as in previous years.

Even with a few injuries on the Jets line, Cook figures to be able to get 'something out of nothing' more often than not like he has done for most of his career, which will certainly help the stock of this heavily-scrutinized unit.

Breece Hall can certainly make the most out of small holes as well, but it never hurts to add a Pro Bowl player such as Cook to make it easier on the line when Hall is resting.

3. Aaron Rodgers, QB, NY Jets

Rodgers is a big reason why Cook signed with the Jets, as the latter has said he was looking to follow Rodgers and finally team up with him after years as an adversary.

This must've been music to Rodgers' ears, as he also had some glowing remarks for his newest teammate as they prepare to try to compete for a Super Bowl together.

Perhaps the biggest value Cook brings to this whole team is taking the pressure off of Rodgers' arm for the entirety of the season. Rodgers will turn 40 during this season, so it will be important to manage his attempts while the Jets try to make a long run into the postseason.

The Green Bay Packers have successfully run a two-headed committee for years, most recently with Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon. Dalvin Cook and Breece Hall figure to be an even more formidable duo than that one, both with explosive play ability and dual-threat skills that make defenses key in every single time either one (or both) of them are on the field.

What a treat for the future Hall of Fame quarterback.

2. Michael Carter, RB, NY Jets

Michael Carter seemed to be poised for a bounce-back year after a sophomore season that included injuries, a demotion, and some putrid performances.

In addition to coming back to training camp healthy, Carter was also candid to reporters about his mindset last year when the team brought in James Robinson to take carries when he figured to be the bell cow back.

He talked about how he now has adopted a mindset where he is only focusing on bettering himself. It is fairly ironic that less than a week after these comments, the team has yet again added a running back, and this time it is the perennial Pro Bowler Dalvin Cook.

Carter will undoubtedly take a backseat, and as mentioned a few slides earlier, he might actually lose his job as a Jet due to this signing. Where Knight is just an undrafted player who's only played in a handful of games, Carter is a former fourth-round pick who looked like one of the league's bright young players in his rookie year two seasons ago.

Teams are almost certainly more interested in trading for someone with Carter's resume than someone with Knight's resume, and the Jets are more interested in gaining back capital in return for a player than just cutting a player for nothing.

Those two factors would leave us to believe Carter's days as a Jet are indeed numbered. He truly does seem to have the love and admiration of his teammates and coaches, and this current Jets regime puts such a strong emphasis on team culture that it's possible that they opt to keep Carter this year, especially since Cook is only under contract for one year.

In 2024, the Jets will need an RB2 again, and perhaps this regime believes Carter can be that guy. If not, he might've played his last game as a New York Jet.

1. Breece Hall, RB, NY Jets

Maybe it goes without saying that Breece Hall was the most affected player by Cook's signing. The NFL world was expecting Hall to return to his presumed role as the Jets' bell cow and ascend to elite running back status this season.

I assumed this as well and proclaimed him a candidate to finish as the highest-scoring non-QB in all of fantasy football this season. The addition of Cook pretty much reduces the chances of that happening to nil, but his floor is still remarkably high.

There are plenty who believe that Hall will still be a bell cow and Cook is only there to relieve him, but I'd be shocked if the Jets opted to pay a perennial Pro Bowl player $7 million to simply be a role player — especially when you consider how frugal Joe Douglas has been as Jets GM.

Rodgers said himself that the league has evolved into a committee league, and it's been almost five years since the last time that he didn't have a two-head rushing attack complementing his elite skill set.

With Cook, he has secured perhaps the best duo in football, and now the pressure for Hall to come back is halved, knowing that an experienced veteran is here to shoulder the load with him.

Off the field, it will be invaluable to speak with someone with the resume of Cook, who (just like Hall) tore his ACL in his rookie year.

Cook is a living, breathing testament that an ACL tear that early into your career is far from a death sentence, and I'm sure Hall will benefit greatly from having that type of mentor in the room with him this season.

On the field, there is less pressure to reclaim his bell cow role from last year, and he can ease himself back into full-contact NFL action. Even at full strength, he won't need to resume the extreme usage he's had even dating back to college.

This year will be a nice 'recovery year' for him where he can still have highlight plays and compete for the sport's richest prize without putting his body at the same level of risk as some of his peers.