Through the first two games of the season, the Dallas Cowboys have yet to see any substantial production from the running game.
Relying mostly on the legs of Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle, Dallas (1-1) ranks 25th in the NFL on the ground.
Adding to the sting of the slow start, the Cowboys just watched Alvin Kamara put together one of his career games at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, racking up 115 rushing yards and four total touchdowns (one on a 57-yard screen pass).
Elliott and Dowdle combined have rushed for 112 yards (56 each) and one touchdown through eight quarters.
However, even with the veteran presence of Dalvin Cook in the wings on the Cowboys’ practice squad, team owner and general manager Jerry Jones doesn’t appear to be in a rush to shake up the Dallas rushing attack.
“I don’t necessarily see a change that would involve Cook this week,” Jones said Tuesday morning during his weekly radio interview with 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM).
“I like what we are with our running backs. We’ve got got good depth. We just didn’t get to run them enough Sunday.”
Up next for the Cowboys will be the Baltimore Ravens, a team heading into AT&T Stadium desperate for a victory after a surprising 0-2 start.
While the offense is led by reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson, joining him in the backfield is running back Derrick Henry, a name that many floated as a possible option for the Cowboys over the offseason in free agency.
Ahead of the looming matchup against Henry, Jones was also asked about the team’s decision to not pursue the two-time league leader in rushing after the departure of Tony Pollard.
“If you’ve got a good player out there and you don’t sign him, guess what, you’re probably going to be playing him,” Jones said. “When you do sign them, you take one out of your competition and you put him over on your side.
“(Henry)’s a heck of a running back, but you won’t find any any that do any better job than the one we played Sunday out there in (Alvin) Kamara with the New Orleans Saints. So, I have all the respect and world for him. He’s a top, top running back. We’ve got other things that we’ve got to get ready to do, other than just regret or lament on whether or not we signed one of those players we’re playing Sunday.”
Included on the list of things to do, fixing the Dallas defensive front that allowed nearly 200 rushing yards to New Orleans just a few days ago.
The Cowboys are set to kick off against the Ravens at 3:25 p.m. on Sunday.
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