NFL Insider Expects Dalvin Cook To Join This Team As Free Agent

If you ask ESPN's Jeff Darlington, the Dalvin Cook sweepstakes are the Dolphins' to lose.

Cook is free to sign with any NFL team following his official release from the Minnesota Vikings on Friday. A report about Cook's impending release was filed Thursday, the same day league insider Adam Schefter reported the Broncos and the Dolphins are expected to pursue the four-time Pro Bowl selection. Schefter's ESPN colleague, Jeff Darlington, ultimately took the report a step further, positioning Miami as the top frontrunner for the star running back.

"I can piggyback on Adam Schefter's report to talk about the fact that Denver and Miami do feel like still the frontrunners for Dalvin Cook's services," Darlington said Friday on "NFL Live." "Miami (is) the clear frontrunner. Why? When we talk about smoke and fire, Dalvin Cook puts a picture of him at Hard Rock Stadium celebrating a day ago when he's about to hit free agency. This is just a situation where I feel like Dalvin Cook fits perfectly in Miami. It would surprise if he doesn't end up in Miami at this point."

Mike McDaniel on Thursday was asked about the possibility of the Dolphins adding Cook, but in typical fashion, the Miami head coach used humor to deflect. The fit is clear as day, though, as Cook could immediately step in and usurp Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. as the Fins' top back. Not to mention, Cook is a Florida State product and surely is intrigued by the idea of competing for a Super Bowl in his native South Florida.