The Dallas Cowboys are reeling from a shockingly one-sided loss to the New Orleans Saints, and there may be a change in the backfield soon in the form of former Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook.
Late last month, Cook signed onto the Cowboys' practice squad as he tries to make a comeback following a disappointing season with the New York Jets. While Cook has not been activated through the first two games of the year, ESPN's Dan Graziano believes it could happen soon if the Cowboys' run game does not improve quickly.
“The Cowboys' run game is a problem and they know they need to get more out of it,” Graziano said. “They like the way Dalvin Cook has looked since they signed him to the practice squad, and they haven't ruled out the possibility of activating him to the roster if they don't get more production out of the Ezekiel Elliott/Rico Dowdle tandem at some point. That move doesn't sound likely to happen this week, but if they struggle to run the ball against the Ravens on Sunday, don't be surprised if Cook ends up getting a look.”
Could Dalvin Cook be the solution to the Cowboys' rushing attack?
The Cowboys kicked off the season on a high note by demolishing the Cleveland Browns 33-17. On that day, the offense didn't have to do too much — no Dallas player had more than 40 yards rushing — as the defense stifled Deshaun Watson and the Browns, who were held to 230 total yards and turned the ball over twice.
Dallas desperately needed its offense this past week, though. The Saints, who hung 47 on the lowly Carolina Panthers in Week 1, did much of the same to the Cowboys in AT&T Stadium, with Derek Carr throwing for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 16 attempts in a 44-19 New Orleans win. Additionally, Alvin Kamara ran for 115 yards and 3 touchdowns, nearly double the Dallas rushing total.
While Dak Prescott threw for 293 yards and a touchdown, he also tossed a pair of interceptions and had little support from his running backs. Rico Dowdle rushed for a team-high 30 yards on seven carries, while Ezekiel Elliott and Deuce Vaughn ran the ball 13 combined times for 27 yards total.
Last season, the Cowboys were slightly above league average in rushing, which was more than good enough to help Prescott and one of the top passing attacks in the NFL win 12 games. However, this year, Dallas sits in the bottom third of the league in rush attempts, yards, and yards per attempt.
The Cowboys will try to get back on track Sunday when they host Lamar Jackson and the 0-2 Baltimore Ravens.
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