Like all the greatest Will They/Won’t They stories, from Ross and Rachel to Luke and Lorelai, this one ended with: They will.
The Dallas Cowboys have elevated veteran running back Dalvin Cook from the practice squad, the team announced Saturday. He will make his debut Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, where he will look to help improve a Cowboys ground game currently averaging the fewest rushing yards per game in the NFL.
The @dallascowboys elevated RB Dalvin Cook from the practice squad for tomorrow’s game at San Francisco.
— Dallas Cowboys Public Relations (@DallasCowboysPR) October 26, 2024
The club also placed TE John Stephens on Reserve/Injured and signed CB Amani Oruwariye to the 53-man roster.
Head coach Mike McCarthy said on Friday, “Dalvin is ready,” and noted that his communication and understanding is at the level it needs to be for him to suit up in games.
Currently, Rico Dowdle is the starting running back, with Ezekiel Elliott and Deuce Vaughn backing him up. However, the Cowboys can’t afford to have two running backs, in this case Elliott and Cook, on the game-day roster and not play special teams, which means the longtime Cowboys could be inactive.
The Cowboys signed Cook in August as a free agent, and he was reportedly in the mix after this year’s draft as an option at running back before Dallas elected to bring back Elliott.
In six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings after being drafted in in 2017, Cook made the Pro Bowl four times. He then joined the Jets for a season, where he backed up Breece Hall before joining the Ravens’ practice squad in early 2024, where he was eventually elevated to play in Baltimore’s divisional round win over the Texans.
This story has been updated to reflect the Cowboys’ official announcement of the move.
Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
