Cowboys coaching staff should listen to Dalvin Cook's words before making a mistake at running back

Dallas Cowboys fans have been nervous about the running back position all year long and rightfully so. Going into the 2024 NFL season, the team is betting on Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott to spearhead what is expected to be a "running back committee."

Both of these two players have their respective question marks to deal with: For Elliott, it's the lack of explosive plays in his resume over the last few years, while for Dowdle it's all about overcoming a lengthy injury history.

Regardless of whether or not this will be a committee, someone has to be RB1. Which leads me to this: The Cowboys could be making a mistake if they choose Elliott over Dowdle.

Although the Cowboys haven't made any official announcements about who is the true starter on the team, it appears to be entirely possible for them to lean on Elliott based on a simple couple of facts: Zeke has gotten plenty of first-team work in training camp and he didn't even step on the playing field in the preseason while Dowdle did even if just for one drive in Week 1.

As to why that'd be a mistake, just consider what newcomer Dalvin Cook had to say about Dowdle:

"Rico," Cook replied when asked which running back had stood out to him. "I feel like you know he's one of those underrated players that kind of do the dirty work, knows the playbook inside out, he's helping me with the playbook right now. So he's just one of those players that don't get enough recognition but he puts his head down and just work."

"Just for me, being around him for the day, I can kind of see how he goes about his business," Cook added. "Just seeing him on the TV and seeing how it translates to how he is in the building."

Dowdle has earned the role with better stats, film, and even with his knowledge of the offense. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has talked about how the offense change when he took over, consistently noting that pass protection assignments for running backs is one of the biggest differences compared to what Kellen Moore used to do when he was offensive coordinator. Having played in this offense before, that's another advantage for Dowdle.

Perhaps the Cowboys had another reason to give Elliott starting treatment in August and not doing the same with Dowdle but if it's because they're leaning on the former, they might come to regret it. Rico is the best back on the roster today. It's time to treat him as such.

On Thursday's press conference, McCarthy didn't reveal if he had a lead back in mind and instead explained part of the running back committee philosophy is about keeping the players fresh and letting things flow.

"My definition of committee is it's a long year, and you want to be able to have distribution throughout that position because of the toll that it takes you on the running back," said McCarthy .

The Cowboys head coach did reveal Rico will have a lesser workload on special teams because of an increased role and praised Dowdle's ability to be a three-down back as well as his pass pro skills.

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