Cowboys give important hint about Dalvin Cook’s debut date

The Cowboys opened Week 1 of the NFL season with an impressive win at Cleveland, putting an offseason marked by turmoil over trades, contracts and a largely dormant free agency behind them. Another point of contention was the team's approach to the running back position, as the Cowboys lost starter Tony Pollard to free agency and replaced him with Ezekiel Elliott, the veteran the Cowboys wanted to make the lead back. That was until the team signed former star Dalvin Cook last month.

Cook is a four-time Pro Bowler and could obviously help the Cowboys. He has been working out with the team's practice squad since being signed on August 28th, and the only question surrounding him is when exactly he will be added to the 53-man roster.

Coach Mike McCarthy commented on Cook's performance so far and when he might send him onto the field this week.

“I'm glad he's here,” McCarthy said of Cook, via Lonstarlive.com. “Impressive. Phenomenal feet. I've had the opportunity to watch him a lot. He looks really good. He really fits the room very well. … When you look at his time frame and how long he's been here, I think the most important thing is that we can hopefully get a full week of work in this week and next week. That's only going to help the guys that came in late.”

Cowboys RBs were below average in Week 1

That means Cook won't play in Week 2, the team's first home game against the Saints. But it leaves open the possibility that Cook could play in Week 3, which happens to be a game against the Ravens — the team Cook signed with for the playoffs late last year after being released by the Jets.

And McCarthy is right when he says he has full weeks to work with. After Week 3, the Cowboys have a Thursday night game in Week 4, meaning Cook wouldn't have much time to work his way into the rotation if he hasn't played by Week 3.

Even though the Cowboys beat the Browns so well, the running backs weren't exactly impressive. Elliott managed 40 yards on 10 carries, a respectable 4.0 yards per carry. But No. 2 running back Rico Dowdle managed just 26 yards on eight carries, and Deuce Vaughn managed four yards on one run.

Receiver CeeDee Lamb was the Cowboys' best running back that day with three runs of 25 yards.

Dalvin Cook ready for new role

Cook is coming off a year when he rushed for over 1,100 yards in four seasons with the Vikings. He is a four-time Pro Bowler and has scored 43 touchdowns in those four seasons. He left the Vikings last year for the Jets, but was never able to carve out a role behind starter Breece Hall in New York (67 carries, 214 yards) and ended up completely out of the rotation until he was eventually released and signed by the Ravens.

Cook said he knew his years as a running back were behind him, but told the media he was ready for the change.

“In my years in Minnesota, it was Dalvin, Dalvin, Dalvin, give him the ball. Now I just have to adjust a little bit,” Cook said, via ESPN. “Help everybody and be productive. That's just my mindset. I'm going to be ready to go. Obviously, being around Zeke, I can learn a lot from him. He's older than me. I'm just still soaking up the game. And I'm learning from the young guys, too. I feel like we're going to push each other just being part of this group.”

Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter who covers the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has been writing for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including Fun City, Before Wrigley become Wrigley and Facing Michael Jordan. More about Sean Deveney