Dylan Cook
Dylan Cook
When Mike McCarthy outlined his preseason plan, he said there would be three groups of players assigned to different portions of the game. Mason Rudolph and the starters played 19 snaps across two drives, but notably, RG Spencer Anderson and RT Dylan Cook stayed on the field after the rest of the starters came off. Anderson played 24 snaps while Cook played 32. So, what does that tell us about those starting competitions, particularly at right tackle with Max Iheanachor nearing a return?
Cook played the fifth most snaps on the entire offensive roster. If he had the starting job locked up, they wouldn’t have risked him that deep into the game. And part of the reason they kept him on the field was his shaky performance at the beginning of the game. His play left the door wide open for Iheanachor to come back and seize the Week 1 starting job, even with a week of missed practice.
Let’s review some of Cook’s tape to learn more.
Cook came out looking strong. His first pass blocking snap was a nice snatch and trap that planted Barryn Sorrell on his face.
https://i.gyazo.com/b72b3f7e76d656d74ee0c65609f603ec.mp4
The inconsistency quickly showed up, as Cook gave up his chest and got walked back into the pocket to force a sack of Mason Rudolph. Cook wasn’t the only one who lost his rep, but without his failure, Rudolph would have had room to step up.
https://i.gyazo.com/93ba201e20d691aadfd76ca26307ea72.mp4
He continued to struggle against the Packers’ starters, giving up his chest and losing pocket integrity. Tackles are responsible for the width of the pocket, and too often Rudolph found himself with a narrow lane.
https://i.gyazo.com/03f6f56fc72751a68dc0bdc06ec77042.mp4
Cook did a decent job mirroring his footwork here to cut off the inside move, but watch how far back he steps his left foot when pivoting back inside. He gave up space for free, which almost resulted in a batted pass at the line of scrimmage.
https://i.gyazo.com/fa3fa9182f2f06127faf6c0f3db72196.mp4
I don’t want to paint the picture that it was all bad because it wasn’t. But consistency is key for O-line play. Here’s a solid rep where he lands a punch on the outside shoulder and neutralizes any threat around the edge.
https://i.gyazo.com/12fd505182c9e859925d6a8e48d5788b.mp4
And here’s an example of a time where he gave up his chest, but managed to re-anchor.
https://i.gyazo.com/8b4ac5c813e62b55250792da61e9a6fb.mp4
Finally, there was nothing wrong with the initial block here, but if the whistle hasn’t blown, Cook should be looking for work. If the quarterback is fighting for his life dancing around the pocket, the linemen should be too.
https://i.gyazo.com/2e69153104074a5c9e7d7231b03f95b4.mp4
Overall, Cook definitely didn’t do enough to widen the gap between himself and Iheanachor. And based on the number of snaps he got, the coaching staff thought the same. He had an opportunity to all but close the door on the rookie, but instead it’s left wide open.
Max Iheanachor still has a great shot at winning the Week 1 starting right tackle job as long as he returns to practice (and the preseason) soon.