With 53-man rosters set across the NFL, some players will start to find new homes in the coming days. That includes veteran running back Dalvin Cook.
Cook, who worked out for the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday, is signing with the team to provide head coach Mike McCarthy added depth and talent at running back, joining Ezekiel Elliott, according to a report from NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero.
Cook will begin the season on the practice squad for Dallas, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The addition of Cook could give the Cowboys a big boost at running back. If Cook is elevated from the practice squad early in the season, Dallas could have a two-headed monster in the backfield entering its Week 5 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 6.
Cook is coming off a 2023 season in which he signed in mid-August with the New York Jets and appeared in 15 games before being released in early January. Cook then landed with the Baltimore Ravens and played in the Ravens’ 34-10 win over the Houston Texans in the divisional round of the playoffs.
During the 2023 season, Cook rushed for just 214 yards on 67 carries for the Jets, adding another 15 receptions for 78 yards.
Prior to his down season with the Jets, Cook was a consistent weapon for the Minnesota Vikings, rushing for 1,000-plus yards in four straight seasons, including a league-leading 1,557-yard season with 16 touchdowns in 2020.
The veteran running back, who was a second-round pick of the Vikings in the 2017 NFL Draft, is entering his age-29 season and has compiled 1,349 carries for 6,207 yards and 47 touchdowns on the ground, adding another 236 receptions for 1,872 yards and five touchdowns.
He is a four-time Pro Bowler and should pair well with Ezekial Elliott in Dallas, reuniting with former Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, who is now the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator.
