The Dallas Cowboys’ running back room was always going to look a lot different this season after Tony Pollard signed with the Tennessee Titans in free agency. Pollard led the Cowboys in rushing each of the last two seasons, but in the modern NFL, running backs are often replaced by a younger draft pick once they reach the end of their rookie contracts.
The Cowboys didn’t replace Pollard with a younger player, though. Dallas used its first three draft picks to build up the trenches, and didn’t select a running back at all with their eight selections in 2024. Instead, the Cowboys are turning to older running backs who were once among the best in the league in hopes that they can recapture the magic that made them special years ago.
The Cowboys’ starter this season is slated to be Ezekiel Elliott, the 29-year-old who led the NFL in rushing yards for Dallas in 2016 and 2018 and hasn’t crossed 1,000 yards on the ground the last two seasons. On Wednesday, Dallas added another player to its running back room: former All-Pro Dalvin Cook.
Cook was possibly the NFL’s best running back in 2019 and 2020 as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. He rushed for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns back in 2019, and followed it up with 1,557 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2020.
The Vikings tried to get Cook to take a paycut after 2022, and when he refused, he signed with the New York Jets ahead of last season. He never looked like the same player, finishing with only 214 yards rushing on 67 attempts — a paltry average of 3.2 yards per carry.
The Cowboys have had a very weird offseason all around. QB Dak Prescott remains unsigned, and it might take the biggest contract in league history to lock him up at this point. CeeDee Lamb finally has a new deal, but superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons does not.
Going all-in on an older backfield of Elliott and Cook is another odd choice. Yes, Dallas also has Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn in the backfield, but it’s hard to know what to expect from them. Elliott and Cook would have been an amazing tandem … in 2019. It may not work out as well in 2024.
Either way, the Cowboys are going to be fascinating this season. Big names are all over the roster, and the stakes have never been higher with the futures of Prescott and Parsons still up in the air. One thing is for sure: the Cowboys are never boring.