There have been talks of free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins potentially signing with the New England Patriots for weeks.
But what if the five-time All-Pro wideout wasn’t really the best fit for the team? What if it was actually four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook instead?
Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi, who was also a former Patriots assistant, threw out the idea of Cook being the better fit of the two players in New England.
“I actually believe Dalvin Cook would be a better fit than Hopkins for them,” Lombardi said, when appearing on The Pat McAfee Show. “[Rhamondre] Stevenson is a great player. There’s no question. But without Stevenson, if he goes down, it’s Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris. They need another back, back there, and I think Cook is one of those really good change-of-pace, catch a screen, go a long way. I think he’d make a huge difference for the Patriots offense with Stevenson.”
"I believe that Dalvin Cook would be a good fit for the Patriots and they need another back"@mlombardiNFL #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/W1bE4EaLUN
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 23, 2023
There is no doubt the combination of Cook and Stevenson would do serious damage to opposing defenses.
With that said, Cook is a bit of a premium option for a Patriots team that does need help at receiver. There are other potentially cheaper options out there like Ezekiel Elliott and Leonard Fournette with Ty Montgomery, who had a tremendous spring showing, serving as the change-of-pace option for New England.
Those cheaper moves coupled with the addition of Hopkins might suit the team as whole even better.
