Cowboys fans expecting running back Dalvin Cook to step in and inject some life into the moribund Dallas ground game will have to keep waiting, it seems.
The 29-year-old, signed just prior to the start of the season, will apparently remain on the Cowboys practice squad for yet another gameday when the team travels to MetLife Stadium to take on the New York Giants in a divisional showdown on Thursday night.
That’s the report from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, anyway.
“We’ve got a short week here, and I don’t think this is the time that you have any real serious roster adjustments in at that particular time,” Jones told Shan & RJ on 105.3 The Fan during a Tuesday morning phone-in. “So I don’t think so, because of the short week, for sure.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on @1053thefan said he doesn’t expect RB Dalvin Cook to play Thursday night against the Giants
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 24, 2024
Cook signed with Dallas on Aug. 28 after spending the summer working out on his own as a free agent. The four-time Pro Bowler was originally a second-round draft pick of the Vikings in 2017 and spent six seasons in Minnesota before playing for the Jets last season and making a brief playoff appearance for the Ravens this past January.
The Cowboys have not yet used a gameday elevation on Cook. Head coach Mike McCarthy gave no indications one way or the other when asked about Cook’s status.
“I’m not here to make any decisions or proclamations on what’s next,” he told reporters at his Monday press conference.
The Cowboys’ rushing attack has been largely stuck in neutral through the first three games of the season. The team ranks 30th out of 32 in both rushing attempts (62) and rushing yards (221), and only three clubs currently have a lower yards-per-carry average than Dallas’s 3.6.
But honestly, would Cook provide a tangible improvement?
He posted lots of the typical gym workout videos to social media during his offseason of unemployment, but the stats don’t necessarily point to him being some savior-in-waiting for the Cowboys.
Cook saw only sparse action last year in a Jets offense that had to be completely retooled after the season-opening injury to Aaron Rodgers. As a result, his last objectively strong performance came a week before Christmas 2022, when he carried the ball 19 times for 95 yards and a 5.59-yard average in a Vikings win over Indianapolis. His last rushing touchdown came the week before that, and his most recent 100-yard game was mid-November of that year. And Cook hasn’t tallied back-to-back 100-yard outings since December 2020.
Compare that to Ezekiel Elliott, once again wearing the silver and blue after one season in New England. He did post a last strong showing in Week 3 last year, totaling 80 yards on 16 carries in a Patriots win (over, ironically, Cook and the Jets). But Elliott’s last 100-yard day came in October 2021, nearly two calendar years ago; it was also the second of his most recent back-to-back 100-yard games.
Rico Dowdle is currently the Cowboys’ leading rusher heading into Week 4, though that’s not saying much. Dowdle’s 88 yards through three games ranks just 49th leaguewide; Elliott (62 yards) is in 63rd place.
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The Cowboys have been unable to commit to the run thanks to early deficits in consecutive games, but they also have yet to show any real ability to be effective when they do run. The offensive line that Elliott and Dowdle are both struggling behind is the same shaky unit that Cook would be working with.
The most optimistic of Cowboys faithful may cling to a belief that Cook- who received almost no notable interest from any other club all summer long- is the missing piece that will get the Dallas offense finally clicking.
But in truth, there’s little reason to believe that’s true.
And, per Jones, there’s no reason to believe Cook will even get a chance Thursday night.
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