If you were hoping to see Cowboys running back Dalvin Cook make his Dallas debut in Week 3 against the Ravens, you’re probably not alone. The Cowboys were not impressive in any facet of the game in their Week 2 loss to the Saints, but the running game was one area that was especially lacking.
That’s to be expected for a team whose opponent builds a 35-13 first-half lead, but still, a running game that tallied 68 yards on 21 carries was especially disappointing. For the year, the Cowboys have gained just 170 yards on the ground, 25th in the NFL. Their average of 3.7 yards per attempt ranks 26th.
This might be the perfect time for the Cowboys to unveil a four-time Pro Bowl running back like Cook, who was signed on August 28 to fill out a suspect running back group that lost former Pro Bowler Tony Pollard and replaced him with aging ex-Cowboy Ezekiel Elliott.
Except that team owner and de facto GM Jerry Jones says we’re not likely to see Cook during the Week 3 showdown with Baltimore, the team Cook last played for after he was signed for the playoffs following a poor year with the New York Jets.
Cowboys Sticking With RB Room?
Speaking on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, Jones continued operating under the apparent delusion that the running game was peachy, a prospect that he and the franchise have put forward despite the obvious dearth of front-line backs on the roster.
Elliott was a backup for the Patriots for most of last season. Rico Dowdle has struggled with injury and played only sparingly (96 total carries in three years) in his time in the NFL.
Still, Jones said, we should not expect to see Cook, at least not yet.
“I don’t know how it will pan out for us. We looked healthy as of yesterday with the running back room,” Jones said. “Right now, we were pleased. We could have had some better protection in general with our running backs — that’s a strong suit, of course, for Zeke. But Zeke got pretty hurried there on a few occasions. Right now, across the board, Rico did real well, I thought, in the game. So I don’t necessarily see a change that would involve Cook this week.
“I like where we are with our running backs, but we got good depth. We just did not get to run them enough on Sunday.”
Dalvin Cook ‘Progressed Very, Very Nicely’
Cook has been with the practice squad for three weeks now, and if he does not play on September 22, it is unlikely the Cowboys will turn around and try to squeeze him onto the roster for the Week 4 matchup against the New York Giants, which is a short-week, Thursday night game.
While Jones was fairly negative on Tuesday about the question of Cook playing in Week 3, coach Mike McCarthy was, at least, neutral about it on Monday. He complimented Cook’s progress and said only that him playing on Sunday would be a consideration.
“Dalvin looks good,” McCarthy said in his media conference. “Understanding that a big thing for a vet is just the terminology, you know, frankly and just the language adjustment. I think he has progressed very, very nicely since he’s been here. He’s as natural of an outside zone runner that I’ve competed against. So, he looks good. Yeah, he’s getting there.”
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Cowboys’ Jerry Jones Delivers Dalvin Cook Week 3 Reality Check