For a while there, it didn't seem like the Dallas Cowboys even wanted to do it but they're finally going to: Dalvin Cook is being elevated from the practice squad and will make his debut in the silver and navy against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 8, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
Cook signed with the Cowboys in August but the team was oddly patient in easing him into the offense, waiting until after the bye week to be a factor in gameday. It's unclear whether or not the team has waiting for Cook to get in better shape or if it was simply a matter of checking out what they had on the 53-man roster before getting him involved.
Now, that matters little. What matters is how will the four-time Pro Bowl running back will perform.
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters on Friday that he thought the veteran was ready and that had a good chance of playing.
"Mike and (offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer) have been talking to us about how it’s about time for him to get his opportunity," Stephen Jones told 105.3 The Fan.
There's no denying the Cowboys offense needs a spark and even though Dalvin Cook's recent stint with the New York Jets was far from promising, it's tough to expect anything worse than what Dallas has gotten out of its current backfield. It's worth testing him out. However, that might been a surprising name could be demoted to a healthy scratch.
Will Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott be inactive vs 49ers?
I think there's a high chance that he is. The Cowboys have made Deuce Vaughn a consistent healthy inactive as of late as the coaching staff doesn't appear to be prioritizing carrying four backs into gameday. It's clear the team won't sit Rico Dowdle nor versatile fullback Hunter Luepke.
Carrying Elliott and Cook on the active gameday roster would be redundant, which is probably why the Cowboys took so long to activate the latter in the first place. Making Zeke a healthy scratch would be the right move here but we'll see how the Cowboys deal with the situation given they're clearly much higher on him than fans and media.
