Cowboys Finally Add 4-Time Pro Bowler Ahead of Week 8

Getty Cowboys RB Dalvin Cook

There, that was not so hard was it? For some reason, the Cowboys have been waiting–two months now–to officially make former Vikings star Dalvin Cook a part of the team’s official roster. On Saturday, they made the move, putting him on the active roster.

Cook had been signed to the Cowboys’ practice squad back on August 28, with the expectation that he could be quickly elevated to the 53-man roster and aid a running game that looked thin from the get-go.

As the weeks have piled up, no action was forthcoming on Cook. The reality of the Cowboys’ ground game during the season has been just about as poor as was predicted before the season, when Dallas refused to sign any major free agents and did not draft a running back in April. The Cowboys also let two-time 1,000-yard rusher Tony Pollard walk in free agency.

The Cowboys running back crew has been spearheaded by career backup Rico Dowdle and past-his-prime veteran Ezekiel Elliott.

In all, the Dallas ground game has put up 463 yards rushing with two touchdowns. Both numbers rank 32nd in the NFL.

Cowboys Hoping for a Dalvin Cook Turnaround

The hope in Dallas is that Cook can jumpstart the back end of his career with the Cowboys.

The 29-year-old Cook is a four-time Pro Bowl runner who had four straight seasons of 1,100 yards with the Vikings before he left for the Jets last season. There was some question in Minnesota about whether Cook still had his legs, and those questions proved to be valid.

Cook never carved out a role (67 carries, 214 yards) in New York behind starter Breece Hall, and was eventually released when the Jets were not playing him down the stretch of last season.

He was signed by the Ravens for last season’s playoffs, but recorded only 23 yards on eight carries in one game.

Cook has made no bones about the fact that he is not the same player he was early in his career. But at this point, the Cowboys are desperate for help.

“My years in Minnesota it was Dalvin, Dalvin, Dalvin, give him the ball. Now, just a little adjustment,” Cook said, via ESPN. “Help everybody and be productive. That’s just my mindset. I’m going to be ready to go, being around Zeke, I can obviously learn a lot from him. He’s older than me. Just soaking up the game, still. Learning from the young guys, too. Just being a part of this group, I feel like we’re going to push each other.”