Cowboys RB Dalvin Cook Not Sure Why He's Still Sidelined: 'I Am Right Here'

We're entering Week 5 of the NFL season, and of all the arguments that could be made about the Cowboys' running game to date, one argument that is utterly untenable would be to say the ground game has been solid thus far.

It has not. At 301 yards on the ground for the season, the Cowboys are No. 32 in the NFL. On Pro Football Focus' grading scale, Ezekiel Elliott rates a 64.3, which ranks 42nd among qualified running backs. Rico Dowdle's grade is 71.2, which is 25th. That means that the Cowboys "committee" of backs barely has one low-end starter among them.

This reality has only increased the calls for the Cowboys to do the obvious thing, which is to activate veteran running back Dalvin Cook from the practrice squad. Cook, a four-time Pro Bowl runner, is 29 and likely has lost a step. But given where the Cowboys' running game is, it is bizarre that the team would not give him a shot.

Cook was signed to the practice squad on Aug. 28, and has had more than enough time to learn the offense. Even he seems uncertain about why he is not playing.

"I am just looking forward, man, to bringing some excitement to the team," Cook told reporters this week. "I feel great. So, I am just looking forward to the opportunity. I think I am right here. I prepare well, I condition well, I put myself in a position where when the opportunity comes, I am going to explode and be my. Just staying patient and just easy sailing right now. Waiting on my opportunity."

He was asked, too, about the state of his body, which has had decidedly less wear and tear on it than in recent years. Cook played in only seven games for the Jets last season before New York let him go. He played one postseason game for the Ravens.

"Feel weird, to be honest," Cook said. "Around this time, I would be up to I don’t know how many carries. Id’ be touching the football. Right now, I am trying to take advantage of extra preparation. Seeing things from a different eye. Looking at little things for me to go out there and get a little advantage when I do step out on the field."

Cook, though, is trying to give it all a positive spin. "It’s been different," he said. "It’s a little bit humbling. I’ve been spending more time with my son. Just life things, man. But as far as football, I am ready to go, I am ready to play and my time will come."