Cook was not elevated from the practice squad Saturday and therefore is not eligible to play Sunday against the Eagles, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports. With Ezekiel Elliott back, Dallas opted to use the practice squad roster spot on wide receiver Jalen Cropper. With Dak Prescott (hamstring) sidelined indefinitely, the offense overall might struggle, and it's not as if the veteran Cook did much in his two appearances earlier this year, tallying just eight carries for 20 total yards across 23 offensive snaps. Cook could be elevated to the active roster at another point in the season.
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Status
ACTIVELatest Dalvin Cook news
Team
Dallas Cowboys
Birthdate
8/10/1995 (29)
Status
Practice Squad
HT/WT
5'10", 210 lbs
Draft Info
2017: Rd 2; Pk (MIN)
Birthplace
Miami, FL, USA
Position
RB
College
Florida State
Experience
8 seasons
Career History
Dallas Cowboys
2024-Present
(1 season)
New York Jets
2023-2024
(1 season)
Baltimore Ravens
2023-2023
(1 season)
Minnesota Vikings
2017-2023
(6 seasons)
Cook was not elevated from the practice squad Saturday and therefore is not eligible to play Sunday against the Eagles, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports. With Ezekiel Elliott back, Dallas opted to use the practice squad roster spot on wide receiver Jalen Cropper. With Dak Prescott (hamstring) sidelined indefinitely, the offense overall might struggle, and it's not as if the veteran Cook did much in his two appearances earlier this year, tallying just eight carries for 20 total yards across 23 offensive snaps. Cook could be elevated to the active roster at another point in the season.
Cook reverted to the Cowboys' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log. With Ezekiel Elliott not making the trip to Atlanta for Sunday's game due to disciplinary reasons, Cook had a chance to earn a larger role in Dallas' backfield, but Rico Dowdle (55 of 77 offensive snaps) handled most of the work, and Hunter Luepke (17 snaps) was the next most-utilized RB option. Meanwhile, Cook was on the field for six offensive snaps and turned his two carries into eight yards. As long as Dowdle is healthy, Cook may not hold much sway in the Cowboys offense, even when Elliott isn't available.
Cook carries the ball twice for eight yards in Sunday's loss to the Falcons. With Ezekiel Elliott inactive, Cook worked as the Cowboys' No. 2 running back behind Rico Dowdle, but fullback Hunter Luepke actually saw more touches with two catches and a carry. Cook has yet to show anything in two games for Dallas that would suggest he's a threat to Dowdle's spot, but if Dak Prescott (hamstring) is forced to miss a Week 10 meeting with the Eagles, the Cowboys could lean more heavily on their running game.
The Cowboys elevated Cook from the practice squad Saturday in advance of Sunday's game in Atlanta. Cook saw his first action as a Cowboy last Sunday at San Francisco with Rico Dowdle sidelined due to an illness, ranking third in snaps (17 of 62) behind Ezekiel Elliott (28) and Hunter Luepke (25) out of the backfield. Cook's seven touches translated to only 22 yards from scrimmage, and with Dowdle back in action this weekend, it remains to be seen how the former may be involved in the offense.
Cook reverted to the Cowboys' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log. Cook waited until Week 8 to make his Dallas debut, and it happened to coincide with Rico Dowdle sitting out Sunday's loss to the 49ers due to an illness. Even with the potential opportunity in front of him, Cook (17 of 62 offensive snaps) took a back seat to Ezekiel Elliott (28) and Hunter Luepke (25) out of the Cowboys backfield. Elliott (11) and Cook (seven) handled most of the touches (Luepke had one carry). Assuming Dowdle is able to put his ailment behind him ahead of Sunday's game in Atlanta, he seemingly would retake the reins of the team's running game, with Elliott and an elevated Cook likely mixing in behind him.
Cook rushed six times for 12 yards and caught his only target for 10 yards in Sunday's 30-24 loss to the 49ers. Cook got a nice opportunity to step up in his Dallas debut as Rico Dowdle (illness) was a late scratch, but Cook didn't seem to have much juice in his 29-year-old legs. With just 2.0 yards per carry, Cook looked like the diminished version of himself that plodded to 3.2 yards per carry without a touchdown during the 2023 regular season rather than the prime Cook that posted four consecutive seasons over 1,100 rushing yards in 2019 through 2022. Cook's scheduled to revert to the practice squad but could be elevated again for Week 9 against the Falcons.
Cook was elevated from the practice squad Saturday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports. It's a bit surprising it's taken this long for Cook to be elevated from the practice squad given Dallas' inefficiencies at running back, but the delay might speak more to the veteran's abilities at this point in his career than anything else. Given Ezekiel Elliott (3.0 yards per carry) and Deuce Vaughn (2.9 yards per carry) have been woefully insufficient, Cook getting any sort of work likely won't come at the expense of Rico Dowdle, who has been easily the best of a poor group or running back options.
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy suggested Friday that Cook could be elevated from the practice squad for Sunday's game in San Francisco, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports. "I think the biggest thing for us is we're taking the full week. Dalvin is ready. I really like the work that he's putting in," McCarthy said. "I think he's definitely in position to [play]." Since signing with Dallas' practice squad Aug. 28, Cook has yet to be moved up to the game day roster through the first seven weeks of the season. Dallas enters its Week 8 game with all three of the running backs on the roster healthy, but McCarthy could turn to Cook with the hope that he can provide an upgrade on the depth behind starter Rico Dowdle. Ezekiel Elliott (3.0 yards per carry on 38 rushes) and Deuce Vaughn (2.9 yards per carry on seven rushes) have both struggled to make plays in their limited opportunities, and with Vaughn being a healthy inactive for the previous two contests, Cook should have a good chance at slotting third on the depth chart if he's promoted ahead of Sunday. Even if Cook does get elevated, however, expectations should be tempered after he carried 67 times for 214 yards (3.2 average) to go with 15 receptions for 78 yards (5.2 average) over his 15 appearances with the Jets a season ago.
Coach Mike McCarthy said Friday on 105.3 The Fan Dallas that Cook (illness) "took some reps yesterday in the team periods." Cook didn't take part in Wednesday's session due to an illness, so he appears to be past the health concern. However, since the Cowboys signed him to their practice squad Aug. 28, he's remained there for the first four games of the campaign while Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott have combined for 58 carries for 215 yards and one touchdown. That amounts to 3.7 YPC, and the pair also has a cumulative 15-110-1 line on 20 targets. McCarthy added that he doesn't believe Dowdle and Elliott have "been given a lot of opportunities," so it appears as if the status quo for Dallas' backfield will continue to reign Sunday at Pittsburgh and beyond, leaving Cook on the outside looking in for the time being.