The Dallas Cowboys have had quite the poor offseason, and their most recent free agency signing is the icing on that cake. To their credit, the team extending CeeDee Lamb was the right move to make, so you cannot fault them for getting that deal done. Lamb's deal makes him the second highest-paid WR in NFL history, only training Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings.
Well, one area that the Cowboys have had some troubles this offseason is at running back, and on Wednesday, it was announced that the team is signing Dalvin Cook, who was last effective about four years ago.
Breaking: RB Dalvin Cook is signing with the Cowboys, his agency told @AdamSchefter. pic.twitter.com/EkNY23YwZT
— ESPN (@espn) August 28, 2024
So as it stands now, you have to figure that the Cowboys top two running backs will be Ezekiell Elliott, who returned to the team this offseason, and newly-signed Dalvin Cook, who spent a short time with the New York Jets in 2023. Cook has seen his yards per carry drop gradually since 2020.
Cook has also struggled with injuries during his career and was clearly an ineffective RB for the Jets in 2023, averaging 3.2 yards per carry. Ezekiel Elliott has not averaged four yards per carry since 2021, where he only gained 4.2 yards per tote. That season has been the last time Elliott rushed for 1,000 yards in a year.
In 2023, Elliott was on the New England Patriots. He rushed for just 642 yards and three TDs, averaging a career-low 3.5 yards per touch. As you can clearly tell, both Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott are simply washed up, and while that term is quite damning and aggressive, it's the truth.
At one point in their careers, both Elliott and Cook were arguably the very best in the NFL, but as we all know, the shelf life for running backs is the lowest among any position, so their decline before age 30 is not surprising. Now yes, there is always a chance that they both prove us wrong in 2024.
But when you look at the RB room on paper, it's hard to get excited about it, and this signing of Dalvin Cook kind of puts the icing on the cake of this dysfunctional Dallas Cowboys offseason.