The Dallas Cowboys made a late move to bolster the team’s running back room by signing four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook. The veteran playmaker is expected to begin his stint in Dallas on the practice squad.
“Four-time Pro Bowl RB Dalvin Cook is signing with the Cowboys, per his agency LAA,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero detailed in a series of August 28, 2024, messages on X. “Cook was waiting for the right opportunity and always felt it was Dallas. A marquee addition in Big D.
“After not participating in camp and the preseason, Dalvin Cook will ramp up initially on the practice squad and familiarize himself with the system before being activated. He’s been training nonstop and should be ready to roll sooner than later.”
Cook joins a Cowboys running back room that now includes Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle. Dallas signed Cook less than two weeks before the Cowboys kickoff the regular season versus the Cleveland Browns on September 8.
The running back previously signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the New York Jets in 2023. Cook was on a five-year, $63 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings that was slated to go through 2025 but was released by the team in 2023.
New York released Cook prior to the postseason after the veteran played 15 games in 2023. Cook joined the Baltimore Ravens for the NFL playoffs.
The running back is coming off career-low numbers with 67 carries for 214 rushing yards and no touchdowns last season. This broke Cook’s streak of four straight seasons topping 1,000 rushing yards.
Rico Dowdle Is Projected to Be the Cowboys Starting Running Back
Given Cook missed all of training camp, it remains to be seen whether the running back will be able to contribute right away. The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf projected that Dowdle will get the opportunity to be the team’s lead running back. This means players like Elliott and potentially Cook would be utilized to spell Dowdle.
“The Cowboys have embraced a running back-by-committee approach for the season, and Dowdle should get a shot to be the lead,” Yousuf wrote in an August 24, story titled, “Final Cowboys 53-man roster projection: Does DaRon Bland’s injury affect decisions?”
“He had a solid showing at the end of last year in limited opportunity. Elliott is a lock, serving the role of a bruiser and pass protector. [Hunter] Luepke is the do-it-all fullback who has added tight end to his role this camp.”
The Cowboys Plan to Have a Running Back by Committee Approach
Dallas signed Cook after releasing veteran running back Royce Freeman as the team finalized the 53-man roster. Throughout the offseason, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy tried to manage the expectations for Elliott by emphasizing the team’s running back by committee approach.
“I don’t think that’s fair. What do you mean? The guy [Elliott] carried the ball more than anybody in the history to football in the first couple years. That’s not going to be his role [in 2024],” McCarthy told reporters on May 11.
“We’re running back by committee. But I think he’ll definitely play at the level that he’s played I know in my time here. I anticipate that. I don’t see any drop off in the way he moves. He’s in good shape.”
