The Cowboys still don’t have a workhorse running back, but they now have two running backs who previously were that in their careers.
Dalvin Cook signed to the team’s practice squad Wednesday, four months after Ezekiel Elliott re-signed with the Cowboys. In eight seasons, Elliott has 8,904 rushing yards, 2,649 receiving yards and 85 total touchdowns. In seven seasons, Cook has 6,207 rushing yards, 1,872 receiving yards and 52 total touchdowns.
“Dalvin is someone we all have an appreciation for his career,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Wednesday, via Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press. “He gives us a chance to get in here and run the system. He’s initially on the practice squad, gives him a chance to get in here and learn the system. We had hoped that as time went along in this offseason, we would have an opportunity to maybe look at a player of his stature if the right circumstances came along. They came along. We’re appreciative of it. We had a workout for him. He’s in good shape. He’ll get a lot more work. He will learn the system as he goes and he could really help us out this year.”
It’s probably wishful thinking.
The Cowboys still have one of the worst running back rooms in the league, if not the worst.
Last season, in his only season with the Patriots, Elliott had career lows in starts (five), snaps (539), carries (184), yards (642), touchdowns (three) and yards per carry (3.5). Cook had career lows in every category, with 67 carries for 214 yards and no touchdowns for the Jets last season.
The Cowboys are going with a running back by committee. They also have Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn on the active roster, along with Elliott, and Malik Davis on the practice squad, along with Cook. Dowdle and Davis are the only special teams players among them, with Davis having played 223 special teams in his career and Davis 85.
Jones, though, doesn’t see the team’s running backs room like everyone else outside the organization sees it.
“Really, we’re in a great position to have flexibility here,” Jones said. “We got Malik Davis back on the practice squad. We have Dalvin on the practice squad. We’re all excited about what Zeke can do for us. We needed to have improvement, especially in that red zone, needed to have improvement getting in that end zone with that running game. This all bolsters that up. I’m really pleased with where we are right now at running back.”