Dalvin Cook: Everything you need to know

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.

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.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a radio appearance Tuesday that Cook is unlikely to be elevated from the practice squad ahead of Sunday's game against the Ravens, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports. "I don't necessarily see a change that would involve Cook this week," Jones said. Though the Cowboys are coming off an embarrassing 44-19 home loss to the Saints, Jones doesn't pin the blame on the three players in Dallas' running back room, who were limited to 17 carries in Week 2 due in large part to a negative game script. The trio of Rico Dowdle, Ezekiel Elliott and Deuce Vaughn still hasn't been particularly efficient through two weeks, however, with Dowdle pacing the group with an average of 3.7 yards per carry. After averaging a career-worst 3.2 yards per carry in 15 games with the Jets in 2023, Cook doesn't seemed to be viewed as an upgrade over any of the three backs on the active roster. It may take an injury to one of the three before Cook gets an opportunity to suit up for the Cowboys on game day.