Cooked: Cowboys add super experienced veteran to running back brigade

The Cowboys are adding a four-time 1,000-yard rusher for depth at the running back position, but he may not see the field right away.

Former Vikings star Dalvin Cook, also a four-time Pro Bowler, will sign with Dallas, according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero and multiple Wednesday morning reports. The development comes after a workout with the club earlier in the week. Cook is expected to start out on the Cowboys practice squad .

Cook reportedly had a workout scheduled with the Colts for later this week, but there will apparently be no need for that now.

Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, and Hunter Luepke make up the current position group on the team’s 53-man roster, which was revealed Tuesday.

Cook, 29, brings considerable NFL experience. A second-round draft pick by Minnesota in 2017, the Florida State product got off to a torrid start under head coach Mike Zimmer, breaking the Vikings’ record for rushing yards by a rookie in his debut outing, a mark previously held by Adrian Peterson. But Cook’s first pro season was ended prematurely by a knee injury three weeks later.

After a mediocre sophomore campaign, Cook broke out in his third season and went on a run of four consecutive 1,000-yard years, hitting career highs of 1,557 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns in 2020.

Despite topping the 1,000-yard barrier and going to the Pro Bowl once again in 2022, he found himself looking for a new team in 2023 after declining to take a pay cut from the Vikings. A one-year deal with Jets went nowhere fast, as Cook- who was recovering from a shoulder injury- was cast in a secondary role behind Breece Hall. The team and Cook split in January, just before the regular-season finale.

Baltimore signed Cook to their practice squad heading into Week 18 and elevated him to the active roster in time to play in the Ravens’ divisional-round win over Houston, where he logged 23 yards on eight carries.

An offer for Cowboys fans

But there were concerns about Cook’s age and mileage over the offseason, and he remained a high-profile free agent throughout, even as backs like Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, D’Andre Swift, and the Cowboys’ own Tony Pollard were inked to deals with new teams. Cook spent the spring and summer months further rehabbing his shoulder and training on his own; he told NFL Media he feels “the best he has in years.”

Many thought the Cowboys should have pursued Cook instead of reuniting with Elliott over the offseason. A look at their career stats show they have similar production; Cook entered the league a year after Elliott but is younger by just 19 days.

Once he is acclimated to the practice squad in Dallas, Cook will be eligible for up to three gameday roster elevations. After that, the team will have to either promote him to the active roster or release him.

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