Not far from the NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys don't have a starting running back on their roster.Rico Doodle left in free agency but took snaps behind the current Tennessee Titan. tony pollard In 2023.
There's still a chance they'll select someone in April, but that would create a young running back room. Dallas could be looking to sign a veteran and reportedly has two players in mind.
According to Michael Gerken, dallas morning newsthe Cowboys are considering Ezekiel Elliott and dalvin cook As an option for the 2024 season. The history with Elliott is clear, as he was drafted by the organization and spent seven years in Dallas before being released last offseason.
Cook has some familiarity, and that's thanks to the team's most recent defensive coordinator, Mike Zimmer.
“Two veteran candidates, Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook, could garner strong consideration from clubs as free agency progresses,” Gerken said. “Elliott spent seven seasons in Dallas from 2016-22. Cook will reunite with Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who was the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2017-2021. I will.”
Elliott played in 17 games for the New England Patriots last season, but started just five. He had 642 yards and three touchdowns on 184 attempts, the lowest performance of his career in every major category. Despite fewer carries, running backs' YPC was below 3.5 for the second year in a row.
Cook wasn't far behind either, playing in the NFC East with the New York Jets. Cook ran for 214 yards and no touchdowns on 67 carries in 15 games.
After being waived late in the season, the Baltimore Ravens picked up Cook, but he did not record with the team.
Head coach Mike McCarthy acknowledged that the Cowboys are still looking to expand their running back room after signing Dowdle. How Dallas is handling the situation is unclear, at least as far as franchise officials are speaking publicly.
“We definitely want to grow our running back room,” McCarthy said. “Whether it's a veteran or a draft pick, the room is by no means done. It was important to re-sign Rico. He's definitely a player that was part of last year's one-two rotation, so we're looking forward to him. I'm satisfied with that.
“But we have some young players here who are thinking about things like: [make a] Jump. ….you please look Hunter (Ruepke), deuce [Vaughn] And even more malik [Davis]. I expect them to make a big leap forward and compete for playing time. ”
