When 2023 NFL interceptions leader and All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland went down with a stress fracture in his foot, Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said he was “not at all” interested in looking at external help at corner.
That certainly wasn’t the case at the running back position. Fresh off signing 2023 First Team All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to a four-year, $136 million extension with $100 million guaranteed, Jones made another big move on Wednesday, signing four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook, his agency informed NFL Media. Cook worked out for Dallas on Tuesday, according to longtime NFL insider Josina Anderson. ESPN is reporting that Cook will initially join the practice squad.
Cook played his first five seasons (2017-2021) under Cowboys new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who was the Minnesota Vikings coach at the time. He has made the Pro Bowl in four of the last five years, and has rushed for at least 1,135 yards in each of those four campaigns from 2019 to 2022 in Minnesota.
In 2023, Cook played in 15 games with the New York Jets, but he totaled just 214 rushing yards on 67 carries (3.2 yards per carry, a career low) behind a depleted Jets line while taking handoffs from a rotation of quarterbacks who weren’t Aaron Rodgers. He ended up finishing the year with the Baltimore Ravens and totaling 23 rushing yards on eight carries against the Houston Texans in the 2023 AFC divisional round. He is now 29 years old, just a few weeks younger than Ezekiel Elliott.
Since 2019, Cook has the fourth-most rushing yards (5,238), tied for the fourth-most rushing touchdowns (43) and the fifth-most rushing first downs (268). He is the Vikings’ third-leading rusher with 5,993 yards, trailing only Robert Smith and Adrian Peterson. His 47 rushing touchdowns rank fourth in Vikings history.
Cook reportedly used much of the 2024 offseason to rehab from shoulder surgery and “feels the best he has in years,” per NFL Media. With Cook aboard, it will be interesting to see how many running backs the Cowboys carry on their 53-man roster. Rico Dowdle, Elliott and Deuce Vaughn all made the initial 53-man roster along with second-year fullback Hunter Luepke.
