The Cowboys elevated Cook from the practice squad Saturday in advance of Sunday's game in Atlanta.
Cook saw his first action as a Cowboy last Sunday at San Francisco with Rico Dowdle sidelined due to an illness, ranking third in snaps (17 of 62) behind Ezekiel Elliott (28) and Hunter Luepke (25) out of the backfield. Cook's seven touches translated to only 22 yards from scrimmage, and with Dowdle back in action this weekend, it remains to be seen how the former may be involved in the offense.
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Cowboys' Dalvin Cook: Moves back to practice squad
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Cook reverted to the Cowboys' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.
Cook waited until Week 8 to make his Dallas debut, and it happened to coincide with Rico Dowdle sitting out Sunday's loss to the 49ers due to an illness. Even with the potential opportunity in front of him, Cook (17 of 62 offensive snaps) took a back seat to Ezekiel Elliott (28) and Hunter Luepke (25) out of the Cowboys backfield. Elliott (11) and Cook (seven) handled most of the touches (Luepke had one carry). Assuming Dowdle is able to put his ailment behind him ahead of Sunday's game in Atlanta, he seemingly would retake the reins of the team's running game, with Elliott and an elevated Cook likely mixing in behind him.
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Cowboys' Dalvin Cook: Quiet in Cowboys debut
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Cook rushed six times for 12 yards and caught his only target for 10 yards in Sunday's 30-24 loss to the 49ers.
Cook got a nice opportunity to step up in his Dallas debut as Rico Dowdle (illness) was a late scratch, but Cook didn't seem to have much juice in his 29-year-old legs. With just 2.0 yards per carry, Cook looked like the diminished version of himself that plodded to 3.2 yards per carry without a touchdown during the 2023 regular season rather than the prime Cook that posted four consecutive seasons over 1,100 rushing yards in 2019 through 2022. Cook's scheduled to revert to the practice squad but could be elevated again for Week 9 against the Falcons.
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Cowboys' Dalvin Cook: Joining roster for Week 8
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The Cowboys elevated Cook from the practice squad Saturday.
Cook joined the Cowboys' practice squad in late August, but he waited eight weeks to receive his first promotion to the roster ahead of game day. Though the four-time Pro Bowler is clearly on the downside of his career, Cook could have a chance to push for the No. 2 role in the backfield right away behind starter Rico Dowdle. Reserve backs Ezekiel Elliott (3.0 yards per carry) and Deuce Vaughn (2.9 yards per carry) have been woefully inefficient this season, and Vaughn has been a healthy inactive in both of Dallas' previous two games.
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Dalvin Cook: On cusp of Cowboys debut
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Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy suggested Friday that Cook could be elevated from the practice squad for Sunday's game in San Francisco, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports. "I think the biggest thing for us is we're taking the full week. Dalvin is ready. I really like the work that he's putting in," McCarthy said. "I think he's definitely in position to [play]."
Since signing with Dallas' practice squad Aug. 28, Cook has yet to be moved up to the game-day roster through the first seven weeks of the season. Dallas enters its Week 8 game with all three of the running backs on the active roster healthy, but McCarthy could turn to Cook with the hope that he can provide an upgrade on the depth behind starter Rico Dowdle. Ezekiel Elliott (3.0 yards per carry on 38 rushes) and Deuce Vaughn (2.9 yards per carry on seven rushes) have both struggled to make plays in their limited opportunities, and with Vaughn being a healthy inactive for the previous two contests, Cook should have a good chance at slotting third on the depth chart if he's promoted ahead of Sunday. Even if Cook does get elevated, however, expectations should be tempered after he carried 67 times for 214 yards (3.2 average) to go with 15 receptions for 78 yards (5.2 average) over his 15 appearances with the Jets a season ago.
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Dalvin Cook: Gets past illness
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Coach Mike McCarthy said Friday on 105.3 The Fan Dallas that Cook (illness) "took some reps yesterday in the team periods."
Cook didn't take part in Wednesday's session due to an illness, so he appears to be past the health concern. However, since the Cowboys signed him to their practice squad Aug. 28, he's remained there for the first four games of the campaign while Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott have combined for 58 carries for 215 yards and one touchdown. That amounts to 3.7 YPC, and the pair also has a cumulative 15-110-1 line on 20 targets. McCarthy added that he doesn't believe Dowdle and Elliott have "been given a lot of opportunities," so it appears as if the status quo for Dallas' backfield will continue to reign Sunday at Pittsburgh and beyond, leaving Cook on the outside looking in for the time being.
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Dalvin Cook: Won't be activated in Week 4
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Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a radio appearance Tuesday that he doesn't expect Cook to be elevated from the practice squad ahead of Thursday's game against the Giants, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Jones cited the short week of prep as part of the rationale behind not elevating Cook. Though the three running backs on the Cowboys' 53-man roster (Rico Dowdle, Ezekiel Elliott and Deuce Vaughn) have combined to average just 3.5 yards on 49 carries through the first three weeks of the season, the coaching staff may not have seen enough from Cook during his time on the practice squad to suggest that he would offer an upgrade. Cook isn't helped by the fact that he doesn't contribute on special teams like Vaughn has this season, or Dowdle has the prior three seasons.
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Dalvin Cook: Unlikely to be elevated Week 3
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Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a radio appearance Tuesday that Cook is unlikely to be elevated from the practice squad ahead of Sunday's game against the Ravens, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports. "I don't necessarily see a change that would involve Cook this week," Jones said.
Though the Cowboys are coming off an embarrassing 44-19 home loss to the Saints, Jones doesn't pin the blame on the three players in Dallas' running back room, who were limited to 17 carries due in large part to a negative game script. The trio of Rico Dowdle, Ezekiel Elliott and Deuce Vaughn hasn't been particularly efficient through two weeks, however -- Dowdle paces the backfield with an average of 3.7 yards per carry. After averaging a career-worst 3.2 yards per carry in 15 games with the Jets in 2023, Cook doesn't seemed to be viewed by Dallas as an upgrade on any of the current group. It may take an injury for Cook to get an opportunity to suit up for the Cowboys.
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Dalvin Cook: Won't play Week 1
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Cook won't play Sunday against the Browns after the Cowboys didn't elevate him from the practice squad ahead of Saturday's deadline for Week 1 roster moves, Mauricio Rodriguez of AToZSports.com reports.
Cook missed all of training camp and the preseason since he didn't sign with Dallas' practice squad until the final week of August, so he may need more time to familiarize himself with the Cowboys' offensive system before he's added to the roster. The Cowboys will head into Sunday's season opener with Rico Dowdle, Ezekiel Elliott and Deuce Vaughn as their available running backs.
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Dalvin Cook: Signed to Dallas practice squad
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The Cowboys signed Cook to their practice squad Wednesday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Cook apparently won't start off on the active roster but can be activated at any time. He averaged 3.2 yards per carry with the Jets and Ravens last season, struggling to earn a significant role with both teams. However, Cook should have a chance at playing more in 2024 now that he's joining one of the weakest backfields in the league. Dallas kept Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn as the three running backs on the 53-man roster after cutdown day, parting ways with Royce Freeman and Malik Davis.
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Dalvin Cook: Visiting Dallas
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Cook is being flown in for a visit with the Cowboys on Monday night, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
The teams haven't yet had contract talks, but this is seemingly cause for optimism in the Cook camp. He averaged just 3.2 yards per carry across 15 games in 2023 between the Jets and Ravens, rendering it the worst season of his career. If he can regain something closer to his prior form with the Vikings, though, the four-time Pro Bowler could be an immediate upgrade for a Dallas backfield currently headed by the unimpressive duo of Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle.
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Ravens' Dalvin Cook: Struggles in 2023
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Cook finished the year with 75 carries for 237 yards and no touchdowns while adding 15 catches for 78 yards on 20 targets, including the postseason.
The veteran began the year with the Jets before mutually parting ways with Gang Green in time to sign with a playoff contender. Cook latched on with the Ravens and was saw some action in the divisional-round win over the Texans with eight carries for 23 yards. Unfortunately, this was the worst season of the 28-year-old's career by any metric. Cook was on a one-year deal and it does not appear likely that Baltimore will re-sign him, so the veteran projects to hit the open market as an aging running back coming off a tough year. The days of Cook garnering a long-term deal are likely behind him.
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Ravens' Dalvin Cook: Signed to 53-man roster
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The Ravens officially signed Cook to their 53-man roster Thursday.
Cook is thus slated to make his debut with the Ravens in Saturday's divisional-round game against the Texans. It remains to be seen what sort of role he'll see initially with Gus Edwards and Justice Hill also in the team's backfield mix, but according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com, coach John Harbaugh noted last week that he viewed Cook as a "potentially very valuable weapon" heading into Baltimore's postseason run.
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Dalvin Cook: Could get opportunity in playoffs
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Cook -- who is currently on Baltimore's practice squad -- is likely to get an opportunity in the playoffs, as the Ravens are dissatisfied in the current state of their running back room, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.
Gus Edwards, Justice Hill and Melvin Gordon have posted underwhelming numbers recently, averaging a combined 4.0 yards per carry in recent games. Edwards has also fumbled in each of the last two games, and Gordon added to his extensive history of fumbling in Baltimore's regular-season finale. The situation is ripe for Cook to take on a larger role in the postseason, but whether he can take advantage of that opportunity is a different matter, as Cook averaged a paltry 3.2 yards per carry without a touchdown in 15 appearances for the Jets prior to being waived and eventually winding up on Baltimore's practice squad.
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Dalvin Cook: Set to join Baltimore
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Cook's agency announced Thursday that the running back will sign with the Ravens ahead of the postseason, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
According to
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Jets' Dalvin Cook: No touches in Thursday's loss
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Cook didn't have a carry or target in Thursday's 37-20 loss to the Browns.
Cook went without a touch for a second consecutive game, as Israel Abanikanda (six touches) worked as the backup to Breece Hall (22 touches). Cook will likely be a minor part of the game plan at best when the Jets wrap up their season Week 18 at New England.
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Jets' Dalvin Cook: Just two touches in Week 15
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Cook rushed once for four yards and caught his lone target for six yards in Sunday's 30-0 loss to the Dolphins.
Cook handled just two touches compared to six for rookie Israel Abanikanda. The Jets have been eliminated from playoff contention after dropping to 5-9, so Cook may continue to be phased out down the stretch to allow more opportunities for Abanikanda behind lead back Breece Hall.
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Jets' Dalvin Cook: Loses key fumble
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Cook (shoulder) rushed nine times for 35 yards, caught one of two targets for 11 yards and lost a fumble in Sunday's 13-8 loss to the Falcons.
Cook posted his highest rushing yardage total of the season, but his second-quarter fumble in Jets territory set up the only touchdown of the game on Atlanta's ensuing drive. New York's offense has struggled all season, and Cook's poor play after signing with the Jets as a free agent has contributed to the team's shortcomings.
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Jets' Dalvin Cook: Looks spry in limited action
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Cook rushed four times for 26 yards and failed to catch his only target in Sunday's 16-12 loss to the Raiders.
Cook tied his season long with a 10-yard run in the second quarter. He also had his most efficient outing on the ground as a member of the Jets, as Cook's previous single-game best was 4.0 YPC. Breece Hall was held to just 28 rushing yards on 13 carries, but Cook's limited usage despite Hall's struggles just highlights how large the gap in role between the two running backs has grown.
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Jets' Dalvin Cook: Remains non-factor in Week 9
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Cook rushed twice for seven yards and caught one of two targets for one yard in Monday's 27-6 loss to the Chargers.
Cook has nine touches over the Jets' last three games, while Breece Hall has averaged 18.3 touches per game over that span. After mustering 59 yards from scrimmage in his Jets debut, Cook hasn't reached 30 yards in a game since, and that's unlikely to change barring an injury to Hall.
