The Dallas Cowboys recently signed Dalvin Cook to their practice squad. The 29-year-old running back is expected to play for the team this year alongside another veteran, Ezekiel Elliott.
Cook signed a one-year $7 million deal with the New York Jets last year but, unfortunately, failed to make an impact. The team released him before the playoffs, but he ended up playing one game in the postseason with the Baltimore Ravens.
The former Minnesota Vikings star blamed last season’s poor performance on Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles injury. Speaking to ESPN, Cook said that the Jets didn’t have any emergency plan after the four-time NFL MVP got hurt in the opening game of the season. He said:
“I don’t really want to speak on the situation, but when Aaron went down on Play 4, everything was just a little bit different,” Cook said. “There wasn’t any emergency plan. … Aaron went down Play 4, and it was just kind of like, ‘What [do] we do?’ That’s just what it was.”
In 15 games for the Jets last season, Cook rushed for just 214 yards on 67 carries, averaging 3.2 yards per attempt. Hopefully, he will play a good this year behind a better offensive line in Dallas, where he will also have a good and healthy quarterback in Dak Prescott.
Dalvin Cook contract: Details on Cowboys’ RB depth chart
As mentioned earlier, the Cowboys signed Dalvin Cook to their practice squad. Based on practice squad salaries, he will earn around $277k-$358k this upcoming season with the NFC East team.
As of now, the Cowboys running back depth chart looks like this:
- RB1 – Ezekiel Elliott
- RB2 – Rico Dowdle
- RB3 – Dalvin Cook
- RB 4 – Deuce Vaughn
This year, Dallas lost Tony Pollard in free agency and failed to properly replace him via the draft or free agency. The running back position is certainly a weak link for the Cowboys this year, and it might affect Dak Prescott’s performance.
The Cowboys are coming off another 12-win season, but based on how their offseason has gone, not many think they can win their division. Moreover, the franchise could lose Prescott for free in next year’s free agency, and as presently constructed, they do not have a replacement ready in case the quarterback leaves.
