NFL Teams Should Consider These FA Alternatives to Dalvin Cook, DeAndre Hopkins

Running back Dalvin Cook and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins are two of the NFL's biggest names. They have made a combined nine Pro Bowls since 2015, and both are currently on the free-agent market within reaching distance of their primes.

So, it's no surprise the two are stealing the majority of the league's headlines during a typical slow period. And Cook is even talking a big game about a potential team-up with Hopkins somewhere for 2023.

"If we end up on the same roster, that would be something epic for the NFL," the former Minnesota Vikings back told The Adam Schefter Podcast this week.

But is either player actually a good investment at this stage?

Running backs have short shelf lives and high injury rates, and Cook will turn 28 on August 10. That isn't young in RB terms, and with more than 1,000 carries the last four seasons combined, it's extremely likely that workload will begin to take a toll very soon.

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That's almost certainly part of the reason a competitive Vikings team moved on from a guy with a contract averaging more than $12 million per year.

Receivers typically hold up longer, but Hopkins is further down the line at the age of 31. He's missed 15 games the last two seasons (six as a result of a PED suspension, which can't be totally discounted, either), and it's become obvious he peaked with his best statistical season back in 2018.

That was half a decade ago.

Frankly, there are other options. Options who are younger and/or cheaper and/or riding a more promising career trajectory with more room for growth.

By no means are these guys close to as accomplished, but they're all almost certainly less expensive and have the ability to surprise.

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RB James Robinson

Injuries may be a concern after he failed to stick with the New England Patriots this offseason, but you'd have to imagine Robinson would come cheap as a result.

He's only a year removed from back-to-back strong seasons to start his career, including over 1,000 yards as a rookie with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he's still just 24 years old.

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RB Dontrell Hilliard

He isn't young (28), but Hilliard is gently used (100 carries in five seasons) and has really flown under the radar with a career yards-per-attempt average of 5.9 (and 6.3 the last two years with the Titans).

He might not be a centerpiece, but he deserves more attention than he's received while buried behind standouts in Cleveland and Tennessee for much of his career.

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WR Rashard Higgins

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The veteran fell off track the last couple years and wasn't a good fit with the Carolina Panthers, but he should have plenty of tread on his tires at 28 and averaged more than 10.0 yards per target in both 2018 and 2020.

In the latter year, he ranked second among all qualified receivers in that category (11.5). I could definitely see him reviving his career on the cheap in the right spot.

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WR Byron Pringle

It's a similar story with Pringle, who was often overshadowed for obvious reasons as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs and then wasn't able to put it all together in a new spot with the Chicago Bears in 2022.

Still, the gently used 29-year-old caught more than 70 percent of the passes thrown his way in all three of his campaigns with Kansas City, and his 9.7 yards-per-target average during that run was also superb.

Patrick Mahomes helped, but a good quarterback in a fresh new spot could get Pringle back on track for a lot less green than Hopkins.