HEADLINES

Dalvin Cook

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott Not Traveling With Team For Disciplinary Reasons

November 3rd, 2024 at 7:51am CST by Ely Allen

NOVEMBER 3, 07:51am: Adding further context to the situation, Jane Slater of the NFL Network reports that Elliott has been “distracted” this season, which has led to “habitual tardiness.” Elliott has also missed three team meetings this year, and after he failed to attend such a meeting on Friday, both he and the Cowboys determined that it would be better if he did not attend the club’s Week 9 matchup with the Falcons.

NOVEMBER 2, 9:47pm: No single incident is believed to be at the heart of today’s move, per Hill, who adds Elliott attended practice today. Rather, tension between team and player has been building over a period of weeks before the decision was reached to keep him absent from the organization for Week 9. It will certainly be interesting to see how this situation develops moving forward.

NOVEMBER 2, 3:10pm: The Cowboys will be short one of their two main rushers in Atlanta tomorrow as DLLS’ Clarence Hill Jr. reports that veteran running back Ezekiel Elliott will not be traveling with the team for this week’s game. ESPN’s Todd Archer adds that Elliott’s new game status is the result of “disciplinary reasons.”

While the loss may not seem critical, as Elliott has only accumulated 149 rushing yards in seven games this season, Elliott is the only running back on the team to score a rushing touchdown this year. He is responsible for two of the team’s three rushing scores all season. Stats like this underline how the Cowboys have ended up being the league’s 32nd-best running offense through eight weeks of football. With only 519 rushing yards on the season, the Cowboys are 113 yards behind the 31st-place Raiders and 1,081 yards behind the league-leading Ravens.

At 29 years old, Elliott is far-removed from his days of leading the league in rushing back in 2016 and 2018. He hasn’t rushed for 1,000 yards since 2021. Elliott has missed games with injury before and he’s been a healthy scratch in games before, but this is the first time Elliott will miss a game as a healthy scratch in a game that isn’t in the last week of the season.

With Elliott out, the league’s worst rushing offense will depend more heavily on starter Rico Dowdle, who has 246 rushing yards this season but adds an element through the air, as well, with 131 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. The only other active roster running back is the diminutive Deuce Vaughn, though the team has announced that it will elevate veteran rusher Dalvin Cook for the game tomorrow. Cornerback Josh Butler will join Cook for the week off of the practice squad.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/26/24

October 26th, 2024 at 6:24pm CST by Ely Allen

Saturdays minor moves, including standard gameday practice squad elevations:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Cowboys Planning To Promote RB Dalvin Cook

October 26th, 2024 at 12:13pm CST by Ben Levine

Dalvin Cook is set to make his season debut on Sunday night. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the Cowboys are planning on promoting the veteran running back from the practice squad. Dianna Russini of The Athletic definitively adds that Cook will play tomorrow night against the 49ers.

The former Pro Bowl RB has been sitting on the Cowboys practice squad since August. However, with the Cowboys coming off their bye, there seemed to be increasing optimism that Cook would make his Dallas debut in Week 8. That will end up being the case, and Cook could have a chance to immediately contribute to an underwhelming RBs room.

The Cowboys have rushed for a league-low 463 yards this season. The front office didn’t do a whole lot to replace starter Tony Pollard, who left for the Titans via free agency. The organization reunited with old friend Ezekiel Elliott, but the veteran has seen an inconsistent role while contributing only three yards per carry. Rico Dowdle leads the team with 59 rush attempts for 246 yards, but the 26-year-old has yet to find the end zone.

Of course, Cook shouldn’t expect to be some sudden savior for the RB corps. While the veteran isn’t even two seasons removed from topping 1,400 yards from scrimmage, he appeared to take a clear step back in 2023. Cook averaged a career-low 3.2 yards-per-attempt in 15 games with the Jets before the sides decided to mutually part ways. Cook caught on with the Ravens and made his team debut in the Divisional Round, collecting 23 yards on eight carries.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Cook has been “tearing it up in practice.” While it’d be wishful thinking to believe Cook can reach his Vikings production, the Cowboys would simply benefit from a slight improvement from his dreadful 2023 campaign.

Cowboys’ Dalvin Cook Could Play In Week 8

October 25th, 2024 at 7:37pm CST by Adam La Rose

As the Cowboys search for a spark in the running game coming off their bye, a new backfield option could be introduced. Head coach Mike McCarthy suggested Dalvin Cook could make his season debut in Week 8.

“Dalvin is ready,” McCarthy said on Friday (via Nick Harris of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram). “I really like the work that he’s putting in. I think he’s clearly crossed over the threshold of the communication and the understanding [of the offense].”

Cook had a forgettable 2023 campaign split between the Jets and Ravens, logging only 75 combined carries between the two teams. During the offseason, he (along with Ezekiel Elliott) was linked to a Cowboys deal. One day after the roster cutdown deadline, Dallas did indeed parlay Cook’s workout into a practice squad agreement. The four-time Pro Bowler has yet to be elevated to the active roster since, but that could change this week.

McCarthy’s comments suggest Cook will be one of the Cowboys’ two gameday elevations for Week 8; a final call on that front will be made tomorrow. Provided the former Viking is indeed added to the gameday roster, he will have the opportunity to contribute to a rushing attack which has not fared well in the absence of Tony Pollard. Pollard expectedly departed on the open market after playing out the 2023 season on the franchise tag.

To replace his production, the Cowboys have relied on a reunion with Elliott along with an increased workload for Rico Dowdle. Overall, the team sits last in the NFL with an average of 77 yards per game on the ground, and Elliott recently spoke with the team about his lack of usage during short-yardage situations in particular. He, along with Dowdle and Hunter Luepke, will aim to deliver higher production in the running game as Dallas attempts to improve on a 3-3 start.

Cook rushed for at least 1,135 yards every year from 2019-22, but he was let go by Minnesota last offseason in a cost-shedding move. A strong showing in whatever capacity he finds himself in with Dallas would help his free agent stock this spring, but at the age of 29 his prospects in that regard could be limited. In any case, it will be interesting to see how much Cook is used when he makes regular season debut.

Cowboys To Sign RB Dalvin Cook

August 28th, 2024 at 9:40am CST by Sam Robinson

Linked to the Cowboys at multiple junctures over the past several months, Dalvin Cook is finally on track to join the team. Dallas is adding the former Minnesota Pro Bowler, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports.

Cook worked out for the Cowboys earlier this week, and while DLLS Sports’ Clarence Hill notes the team eyed the eighth-year RB on the practice squad, this union will nevertheless commence. Veterans who join teams late in the summer or during the season regularly latch on via P-squad agreements — with eventual promotions to follow. This is indeed a P-squad agreement, per ESPN.com’s Todd Archer, with the Cowboys will see how Cook looks in Mike McCarthy‘s scheme soon.

While this will also reunite Cook with longtime Vikings HC Mike Zimmer, the new Cowboys DC will not exactly be overseeing him this time around. Cook, 29, arrived during Zimmer’s Minnesota tenure and played five seasons for the since-fired leader. He joins a running back room that seemed short-staffed on cutdown day.

Dallas let Tony Pollard walk after a moderately disappointing season — at least compared to his 2022 Pro Bowl campaign — and the five-year Cowboys contributor scored a three-year Titans deal. The Cowboys were linked to Texas prospect Jonathon Brooks ahead of Day 2, but not only did the team not end up with the former Bijan Robinson Longhorns backup, it stood down altogether in the draft. This preceded a reunion with Ezekiel Elliott, who is still counting as dead money on Dallas’ payroll from the post-June 1 cut the team made in 2023. Elliott is certainly past his prime, but as of now, the former rushing champion is slated to lead Dallas’ RB committee.

If Elliott is past his prime, it is safe to say Cook is as well. Riding four straight 1,100-yard rushing seasons going into his Jets stay, the former second-round pick struggled as the team’s Breece Hall bridge and completed by far his worst season. The Jets ended up cutting Cook, who finished the campaign as a Ravens reserve. Cook averaged just 3.2 yards per carry as a Jet (67/214); he had never dropped below 4.4 in a season with the Vikings.

The Cowboys were still linked to Cook between his Jets and Ravens tenures, and they resurfaced on this radar in March. Both Cook and Elliott were interested in joining the team; the club went with familiarity at that point. Elliott’s 2,421 career touches lead all active running backs, but Cook’s 1,585 sit fifth on that list. That said, Elliott fared better than Cook in 2023. The one-and-done Patriot accumulated 955 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns, playing initially as Rhamondre Stevenson‘s backup and then returning to a starting role once the Pats’ RB1 went down late in the season.

Dallas also rosters 2023 Pollard backup Rico Dowdle, who has been with the team for five years, and kept diminutive former sixth-rounder Deuce Vaughn as its third-stringer. Cook stands to compete for playing time in this Elliott-led committee, with this potentially being the four-time Pro Bowler’s last shot at a regular RB gig.

Last year, the Cowboys steadily evaluated Martavis Bryant on their practice squad. That did not produce any game action. Given the state of Dallas’ RB room and Cook not being a special case like Bryant — who has not played a regular-season game since 2018 — would point to a P-squad stay being shorter. If Cook is not bumped up to the Cowboys’ 53-man roster early in the season, it would be indicative of the talented ball-carrier deemed too far past his peak.

Cook was believed to have scheduled an additional workout, per Machota, and Hill floated the Colts as the other team showing interest. Indianapolis’ backup situation is thin post-Zack Moss, with ex-49ers washout Trey Sermon in position to be Jonathan Taylor‘s top reserve. But the Cowboys will cut off any route elsewhere, giving the once-dynamic back another shot.

Cowboys Meeting With RB Dalvin Cook

August 26th, 2024 at 5:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Moving on from Tony Pollard, the Cowboys exited training camp with an interesting running back situation. A post-prime Ezekiel Elliott is back, but the team will consider another veteran back who has been on the radar previously.

Dalvin Cook is heading to Dallas for a meeting tonight, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Cook did not look especially good with the Jets and did not see much action with the Ravens, halting his momentum after a strong run in Minnesota. He will try to catch on with a Cowboys team that has big backfield questions to answer.

A March report indicated Cook joined Elliott in having interest in joining the team. The Cowboys had also come up as an interested party late in the season. The long-rumored Elliott return did come to pass, and he now leads what looks like a post-Pollard committee. Dallas also rosters Rico Dowdle, Royce Freeman and 2023 sixth-round pick Deuce Vaughn. The team has not set its final roster yet, and Cook resurfacing four months after expressing interest is notable — even on the heels of by far his worst season.

Stepping in as a Jets bridge while Breece Hall finished his ACL rehab, Cook totaled 214 yards on 67 carries. That 3.2-yard average marked Cook’s only time under 4.4 in a season as a pro. He came into the 2023 season riding the NFL’s only active string of four 1,100-yard rushing seasons, but at 29, the 2017 second-round pick is hovering on the league’s fringes.

Cook did undergo shoulder surgery to address a years-long issue last winter. Unless he can show form that proves last season was an outlier, the Florida State alum is moving toward retirement. He exited 2023 with 1,585 career touches. The Cowboys already employ the back with the most active touches, as Elliott has logged 2,421 in his eight-year career. Among backs currently on rosters, only five have accumulated more touches than Cook.

The seven-year vet sought a Jets trade before being cut last year, as Hall returned to form quickly. It would be difficult for Cook to land in a better situation, as the Cowboys have made three straight playoff berths and made minimal investments at running back this offseason.

RB Dalvin Cook Receiving Interest

May 20th, 2024 at 8:53am CST by Adam La Rose

Dalvin Cook remains one of the top running backs on the open market. No agreement is imminent at this point, but he does appear to be on the radar of potential new teams.

When speaking about his ongoing free agency, Cook said he has been “taking calls” from teams eyeing an addition in the backfield. The four-time Pro Bowler’s value obviously took a hit in 2023, a season in which he hardly saw the field. Cook’s Jets tenure involved just 67 scoreless carries and it ended in less than one year. His Ravens stint also consisted of sparse usage.

“Just really focusing on myself,” Cook said (video link via Aaron Wilson of KPR2). “Getting ready for training camp, getting ready for what’s coming up next. For me, like you said, patience is the key. Right now the only thing I’m really focusing on is getting myself in tip-top shape to really tote the rock come the fall.”

Cook said last month he feels his light 2023 workload should allow him to return to his previous form this year. He topped 1,100 rushing yards and averaged at least 4.4 yards per carry each season from 2019-22 with the Vikings. No acquiring team will likely expect a repeat of those figures in 2024, but Cook could prove to be an effective addition this late in the offseason.

As the 28-year-old said, he is still not urgently pursuing an agreement. He waited until mid-August last offseason to secure a one-year Jets deal. Especially considering how that arrangement played out, it would come as no surprise if teams moved slowly in considering a Cook signing this time around. A role should nevertheless await him on a new team by the time the regular season begins.

Dalvin Cook Discusses Free Agency

April 6th, 2024 at 10:34am CST by Ben Levine

Dalvin Cook‘s 2023 campaign didn’t go as planned, with the former Pro Bowler struggling to carve out a role in the Jets offense. As a result, it’s been relatively quiet for the veteran free agent, but that doesn’t mean the 28-year-old is treating this offseason any differently.

In a conversation with Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, Cook said he’s feeling great and is confident he can still be a productive offensive weapon. In fact, he also believes his limited run in New York will only benefit him in 2024.

“I’ve got it all,” Cook said. “The tools are still here. I didn’t really get no reps last year. So, the legs are fresh, so the resume speaks for itself. I’m still Dalvin Cook. I’m still that guy. For me, I don’t like to toot my own horn. I just like to go out there, put my helmet on and line up on the grass.”

Cook’s six-year stint in Minnesota ended with his release last offseason. Despite topping 1,300 yards from scrimmage each season between 2019 and 2022, it took the veteran until mid-August to catch on with the Jets, where he was expected to form a two-headed monster in the backfield with Breece Hall.

Aaron Rodgers‘ season-ending injury quickly changed things, with the offense failing to find consistency throughout the 2023 campaign. As a result, the team leaned heavily on Hall, pushing Cook to a true backup role. The running back only started one of his 15 appearances for the Jets, finishing with 292 yards from scrimmage and zero touchdowns.

Cook and the Jets parted ways late in the season, and he caught on with the Ravens for the postseason. He garnered eight touches in his one playoff appearance, finishing with 23 yards.

While there’s been plenty of movement in this year’s RB free agency class, Cook hasn’t attracted a whole lot of interest. There were rumors that the running back was interested in joining the Cowboys, but it was uncertain if that interest was reciprocated by the organization. Regardless of where he ends up, Cook is confident that he’ll be able to contribute to any running backs room.

“Yeah, you always have to be prepared for the opportunity,” Cook said. “For me, I’m a veteran in the league. I know what it takes to be successful in this league. I know who Dalvin Cook is and I know how I want to perform and what I want to do. Like you said, stay ready so you ain’t got to get ready.”

Cowboys To Make RB Addition; Ezekiel Elliott, Dalvin Cook Interested In Deal?

March 28th, 2024 at 9:59pm CST by Adam La Rose

With Tony Pollard no longer in the picture, the Cowboys are an obvious candidate to draft a running back next month. A veteran signing before then would come as little surprise, though, and a pair of high-profile names could be eyeing a Dallas agreement.

When speaking at the league meetings, head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed (via NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo) Dallas will be making at least one addition at the RB spot. The Cowboys retained Rico Dowdle, who finished second on the team in rushing yards last season. Dallas also has 2023 sixth-rounder Deuce Vaughn in the backfield, but an experienced option would be a welcomed addition to take the place of Pollard.

Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports both Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook “have interest in potentially signing” with the Cowboys. In the former’s case, a deal would of course represent a reunion. Elliott spent his first seven seasons with Dallas, twice leading the league in rushing during that span. His efficiency began to wane over time, though, and by the end of his Cowboys stint he was used more as a short-yardage specialist than a true lead back.

The Cowboys, as expected, released the former No. 4 pick last offseason with no guaranteed money remaining on his deal. Elliott signed a one-year pact with the Patriots, and he split time with Rhamondre Stevenson for much of the year. Elliott saw a career-low 184 carries in 2023, and his 3.5 yards per attempt average was also the worst figure of his NFL tenure. Especially in a year which saw several high-end backs quickly land new deals, it comes as no surprise the 28-year-old (who, in fairness, drew trade interest at the deadline) is still on the market.

Cook likewise endured a disappointing season in 2023 after seeing his long-term Vikings tenure come to an end. After being let go by Minnesota, a lengthy free agent process ensued. Cook ultimately joined the Jets, but he struggled to carve out a role alongside Breece Hall in the backfield. New York waived the 28-year-old in January, setting up a brief audition period with the Ravens.

Baltimore used Cook sparingly in the postseason, and with Derrick Henry now in place a re-up with another veteran can be considered unlikely. Plenty of snaps will presumably be available in Dallas for Elliott, Cook or another experienced back looking for a new deal. Dallas would of course still be expected to use a Day 2 or 3 pick on a back during the draft even with a veteran signing, but with $6.7MM in cap space the team can afford a low-cost addition at the position.

Ravens Waive RB Melvin Gordon, Sign RB Dalvin Cook To Active Roster

January 18th, 2024 at 8:20am CST by Ely Allen

JANUARY 18: To little surprise, Gordon’s roster spot has indeed gone to Cook. The latter has been promoted from the practice squad and he will play in the divisional round on Saturday, per his agency. It will be interesting to see how much usage Cook receives as the third option on the depth chart behind Edwards and Hill in his Baltimore debut. If he clears waivers, meanwhile, Gordon will be eligible to remain with the Ravens via the taxi squad.

JANUARY 17: The Ravens have been clearing plenty of roster space over the past few days in the lead up to their first game in this year’s playoffs. In the most recent roster shift, Baltimore made the decision to waive veteran running back Melvin Gordon from the 53-man roster.

Gordon signed with the Ravens back in the offseason, adding running back depth for a team that had seen two starters in J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards go down with season-ending injuries in recent years. He failed to make the 53-man roster but ended up signing to the practice squad as a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option. That glass broke fairly early in the season when Dobbins suffered his second-career season-ending injury in Week 1 of the regular season.

As a result, the Ravens called Gordon up from the practice squad as a standard gameday elevation twice early in the year. The eventual emergence of undrafted rookie sensation Keaton Mitchell, pairing with Edwards, made Gordon mostly superfluous, but a season-ending ACL tear to Mitchell would continue Baltimore’s rotten luck with running back health.

With Mitchell joining Dobbins on injured reserve, Gordon was officially signed to the active roster for the last two weeks of the season, earning snaps in a blowout win over the Dolphins and a meaningless rest game in Week 18 against the Steelers. His performance against Pittsburgh came shortly after the team’s free agent addition of Dalvin Cook. In a rainy regular season finale, Gordon unfortunately demonstrated one of the biggest issues throughout his career, fumbling the ball in what was likely an audition for the postseason roster.

Whether or not a direct result of that fumble, Gordon will not be on the 53-man roster this weekend. Along with the waiving of wide receiver Laquon Treadwell and the placement of cornerback Damarion Williams on IR two days ago, the Ravens now have three open spots on the active roster. Many are speculating that star tight end Mark Andrews will soon be making a return from IR, joining with Isaiah Likely to form one of the league’s deadlier tight end duos. Former All-Pro return man Devin Duvernay has also returned to practice and is eligible to make a return from IR. Lastly, with cornerback Marlon Humphrey not practicing over the last three weeks, the team could opt to activate defensive back Ar’Darius Washington from IR. Originally an undrafted safety out of TCU, Washington opened the season as the team’s starting nickel corner before finding his way to IR.

Another popular thought, especially with Edwards and Justice Hill remaining as the only running backs on the active roster, is that one of the three open roster spots will be used to bring Cook up from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. Despite having made the Pro Bowl in four consecutive years as the Vikings’ starting rusher, Cook took a disappointing backseat to Breece Hall for the Jets this year. Cook claimed to be really close to signing with Baltimore in the offseason, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, and he got a second chance after New York decided to move on from him earlier this month.

Whether Andrews or Cook or Duvernay or Washington, the Ravens are set to add some key reinforcements in time for the Divisional Round matchup against the Texans. Baltimore will have until 4pm EST on Friday to make the decision on who will be activated for Saturday’s game.

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