Dallas City News

Cowboys signing four-time Pro Bowl RB Dalvin Cook – Eric Edholm, NFL.com

There will now be two Pro Bowl running backs in Dallas.

The Dallas Cowboys are adding a new ingredient to their offensive backfield.

Veteran free-agent running back Dalvin Cook is signing with the Cowboys, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero on Wednesday. Cook is expected to join the Cowboys’ practice squad initially, per Pelissero.

Cook visited the Cowboys on Monday, but he left without signing a deal before agreeing to terms.

There are three running backs currently on Dallas’ active roster following Tuesday’s deadline to trim rosters to 53: Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn. The Cowboys have not yet announced their 16-man practice squad, which Cook is expected to join as he ramps up for the season.

Cook, who turned 29 a few weeks ago, is coming off the worst season of his career, averaging fewer than six touches per game with the New York Jets. He signed a one-year deal with Gang Green last August and finished the regular season with 214 rush yards on 67 carries, with zero TDs and a long run of 10 yards. Cook also added 15 catches for 78 yards in his 15 games (one start) last season.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy faced Cook multiple times with both the Green Bay Packers and in Dallas. Last season with the Jets, Cook ran four times for 7 yards and caught a 5-yard pass in a mere 17 offensive snaps in a Dallas 30-10 win in Week 2.

The Cowboys’ backfield appeared thin prior to the Cook signing. Elliott, who is also 29, returned to the Cowboys this offseason after one year with the Patriots. Dowdle set a career high with 89 rush attempts last season but had only two career games with more than nine carries. Vaughn totaled 80 yards from scrimmage in limited time over seven games as a rookie last year.

Cowboys RB depth chart: How Dalvin Cook signing impacts Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle, Dallas backfield – Sarah Effress, SportingNews.com

What might the Cook signing mean for Zeke and the rest of the running backs?

The four-time Pro Bowler didn’t play a significant role on the Jets’ or Ravens’ rosters this past year, but he logged several successful seasons in Minnesota beforehand.

Cook’s drop-off last year due to a shoulder injury and his age was certainly a red flag, but Dallas was still comfortable enough to sign him to the team’s practice squad, per ESPN’s Todd Archer.

Cook was one of the league’s best backs in his prime and could be a nice rotational piece if he can remain healthy and recapture any of his former glory.

Here’s everything to know about the Cowboys running back depth chart, including how carries could be divided heading into the season.

Cowboys RB depth chart

Currently, Elliot is expected to be the Cowboys starting running back. That said, Cook could eventually slot into the second-string spot if he is healthy. Rico Dowdle was largely non-descript in a reserve role last season, posting 361 yards, two TDs, and 4.1 yards per carry on 89 carries, but he’ll likely split carries with Elliott early in the season.

Cook will likely need to gradually work his way up Dallas’ four-man depth chart. As a result, he will begin the season on the Cowboys’ practice squad as he works his way into game shape — though ESPN reports Cook can play in Week 1 if needed.

Elliott will get every chance to lead the team in carries, but at 29, he’s likely better off splitting touches as he did in New England last year. The same is true for Cook, who looked like he had even less in the tank than Zeke last season.

Carl Lawson headlines list of Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad signings – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com

One of Dallas’ most notable players not to make the 53 will return to the practice squad.

There’s nothing truly final about final roster cuts in the NFL, and the Dallas Cowboys continue to make moves that will shape their 2024 depth chart heading into their Week 1 battle against the Cleveland Browns — the latest item on the task list being to fill out their practice squad.

Usually allowed a total of 16 players on the unit, this year is different in that the Cowboys are able to carry undrafted rookie free agent Denzel Daxon as an IPP (International Pathway Program) exemption to make for a maximum of 17. It’s the same exemption once used for Isaac Alarcón from 2020 through 2023.

As if often the case for the Cowboys, the large majority of this year’s practice squad is constructed by players who were either waived by Dallas during cutdowns this week (and cleared waivers) or released (vested veterans not subject to waivers); and with a sprinkle of veteran leadership — i.e., Dalvin Cook and Carl Lawson.

Cook is unofficial for now, but expected to join, while Lawson is indeed official and can begin practicing immediately after being released during cutdowns earlier this week with the goal of returning in short order.

Practice squad players can be elevated three times to a gameday roster but, on the third, they must either be moved to the active roster or waived or released, whichever applies to their number of seasons played in the NFL (4 or more accrued = vested).

CeeDee Lamb Has ‘No Doubt’ Cowboys, Dak Prescott Will Get a Deal Done – Tom Dierberger, Sports Illustrated

Lamb believes another one of Dallas’ “Big Three” will get his next payday.

CeeDee Lamb showed up to “Cowboys Night” in Frisco, Texas, on Tuesday night fresh off officially agreeing to a massive four-year contract extension with the Dallas Cowboys on Monday.

His quarterback Dak Prescott, however, remains in uncertain territory when it comes to his future in Dallas. The 31-year-old Prescott enters the 2024 NFL season the the final year of his contract and, as things stand Aug. 27, would hit free agency in the offseason.

Lamb threw his support behind the man who has thrown him the ball for all of his four NFL seasons.

“I have no doubt that they will get the deal done,” Lamb said Tuesday [via Cowboys reporter Nick Harris]. “I know that I want Dak here. Jerry [Jones] wants Dak here, too. Let’s just get this under control, kill the speculations.”

Prescott has publicly stated that he’d like to remain with the Cowboys for the long-term, but in July he also acknowledged many other great quarterbacks he grew up watching ended up playing for different teams over the years.

As the Cowboys’ season opener against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 8 inches closer, Prescott remains in search of a new deal.

“We’re just continuing to talk,” Jones said on Aug. 21. “Since we’re [approaching] in-season, we’re operating under the existing contract.”