A frustrated Dalvin Cook blames his struggles on a lack of carries

NY Jets running back Dalvin Cook is not happy with his current role, and he made his frustrations clear when speaking to reporters on Thursday. Cook discussed potential trade rumors while insisting that his lack of playing time in recent weeks has been "frustrating."

Although Cook stopped short of requesting a trade, he did imply that he could talk to his agent and Jets general manager Joe Douglas about the possibility. The Jets are reportedly shopping Cook ahead of this Tuesday's trade deadline.

On top of that, Cook blamed his struggles this season on a lack of playing time. The four-time Pro Bowl running back rhetorically asked what he's supposed to do with three carries — a reference to the three carries he received in the Jets' Week 6 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Most Jets fans probably agree with Cook to some extent. I'd venture to say that most Jets fans are also frustrated with the way Cook has been used.

But while Cook's frustrations center around a lack of playing time, most Jets fans are probably frustrated that he's received too many snaps at this point in the season.

The NY Jets need to end the Dalvin Cook experiment

Cook has statistically been the worst running back in the NFL this season. His 2.8 yards per carry ranks dead-last among all qualified running backs. To make matters worse, his teammate, Breece Hall, ranks first in the NFL with an excellent 6.5 yards per carry.

Cook also ranks last among qualifiers with an abysmal -1.45 RYOE (rushing yards over expected) per attempt. No other running back in the NFL has a RYOE/attempt worse than -1.23, and only three others are worse than -0.75. That's how bad Cook has been this season.

Of course, this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who paid attention last season. Despite his gaudy box-score numbers, Cook ranked dead-last in the NFL in 2022 in RYOE. His tape was littered with red flags, suggesting he wasn't the same player he was in his prime.

Despite the fact that he's very obviously fallen off the proverbial cliff, Cook believes that his production would increase with more snaps. He believes that his 2023 struggles are a direct result of a lack of playing time.

Of course, this is complete nonsense. If anything, the Jets should be looking for ways to remove Cook from their offensive game plan, which they seemingly are based on his usage rate over the course of the season.

The Jets are searching for any team that might be willing to trade for Dalvin Cook. They know exactly what everyone else who's watched him play this season knows.

Dalvin is Cooked. No amount of carries is changing that.