No team in the NFL is worse on the ground than the Dallas Cowboys. No, seriously. The Cowboys enter Sunday’s game ranked last in the NFL, averaging a ridiculous 77.2 rushing yards per game. Their offense performed poorly to start the year, and the lack of a ground attack is a big reason why.

For some reason, the Cowboys chose to bring Ezekiel Elliott back to Dallas instead of pursuing a reliable option at the position like Derek Henry, Josh Jacobs, or even Tony Pollard. Yes, the same Ezekiel Elliott who struggled to the point where he was released by the Cowboys after the 2022 season. He was named the team’s RB1 and the results were what most NFL fans expected.

Elliott’s predictable problems allowed 26-year-old Rico Dowdle to take over the team’s leadership. He wasn’t outstanding, but he’s a significant improvement over Elliott. There is no denying that he is the best option in their running back room right now.

This unfortunate fact is why the news that Dowdle fell ill upon arriving at Levi’s Stadium before Dallas’ Week 8 game against the San Francisco 49ers is such frustrating news. It’s now questionable whether he’ll be able to play, and even if he does, there’s a good chance he won’t be at full capacity.

With Dowdle’s availability in question and Elliott buried on the depth chart, there’s a good chance Dalvin Cook’s Cowboys debut will bring a whole lot of important work.

It was reported that Cook would be active for the Week 8 game in San Francisco, but how much he would play remained to be seen. He had spent the season on Dallas’ practice squad but had not seen a game with the Cowboys.

With the news that Dowdle is now questionable, there seems to be a very good chance that Cook will not only see action, but could also lead the team in carries. Since it’s now 2024, the thought of Cook getting a ton of playing time on a Cowboys team trying to fight for its playoff life isn’t great.

Once upon a time, Cook was one of the NFL’s best running backs, just like Ezekiel Elliott, but the year is 2024. Cook hasn’t been a star in a long time.

Last season he played in 15 games for the New York Jets as their No. 2 prospect behind Breece Hall. He averaged just 3.2 yards per carry on 67 attempts, which ultimately led to his release. He finished the season with the Baltimore Ravens, but spent most of his time on the sidelines.

Cook may be getting an offensive line upgrade from New York to Dallas, but does anyone really expect the 29-year-old to be better than what he currently has, which is already the worst in the sport?

Ultimately, Jerry Jones is responsible for his strange refusal to add a legitimate option out of the backfield. Trying something new if what they’ve used this season sounds good in theory and Cook’s resume makes him exciting, but it’s hard to expect much here. In fact, it would be surprising if it wasn’t more of the same.