Cowboys panic move at RB won't change a thing

The Dallas Cowboys are the worst rushing team in the NFL — 32nd in rushing yards, 32nd in rushing attempts, 32nd in yards per carry. Yeah, it's that bad. And it's strange because we are used to Dallas running the football as well as any team in the league. The days of prime Zeke or prime Tony Pollard are in the past, though, and it's clear Dallas has no imminent solutions in mind.

Several of the league's best RBs changed teams this summer. It has never been cheaper to land top-shelf talent at football's most thankless position. Derrick Henry, Joe Mixon, Aaron Jones, Josh Jacobs, oh yeah, and Tony Pollard all landed in new homes this offseason. Rather than targeting such a player or drafting a competent rookie, however, the Cowboys brought back past-prime Ezekiel Elliott, hoping good vibes and fond memories would carry them over the finish line.

Jerry Jones' cheapness has touched every part of the roster this season, even the top of the cap sheet. He waited to the last possible second to extend both CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott, using their forthcoming historic contracts as a thinly veiled excuse to not spend on other key areas of need. The Cowboys have a healthy amount of leftover cap space, but you wouldn't know that from how Jones operates.

That said, no position has suffered more than running back. Dallas just cannot get anything going on the ground, which leaves Prescott and the passing attack in a constantly compromised state. It's just not how good teams operate.

The Cowboys have a new solution, though, which was made official on Saturday. And yeah, it's just more of the same. From ESPN's Jeremy Fowler:

Cowboys plan to elevate Dalvin Cook from practice squad for Week 8 matchup with 49ers

Dalvin Cook will suit up with the active roster when the Cowboys face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football. Which felt like a heavyweight duel when the schedule was announced now feels like a depressing struggle for relevance between two of the NFC's most disappointing teams. Both Dallas (3-3) and San Francisco (3-4) still have a path to the postseason, but neither team has lived up to lofty expectations this season.

Cook, who has spent the majority of this season on the Cowboys practice squad, has not suited up since last season, when he appeared in 15 games (one start) for the New York Jets before hitting the waiver wire. He finished the campaign in a Baltimore Ravens uniform, but Cook spent the playoffs mostly watching from the sideline.

It's hard to overstate how bad Cook's Jets tenure was. He was inked as a veteran alternative to Breece Hall and another big-ticket name to surround Aaron Rodgers with. Instead, Cook ended up scrapping his way to yards with Zach Wilson running the show. Hall made a strong impression on New York fans in his first full season, but Cook struggled. He averaged a career-low 3.2 yards per carry, a shade below Dallas' league-worst team average in that very category this season.

We can sit around and blame the Jets' O-line, but Hall was able to put together several explosive outings while Cook was continuously stuffed at the line of scrimmage. This move from Jerry Jones is basically the equivalent of Dallas propping up Zeke, only there's no sentimental value. Cook isn't a lifelong Cowboy. He's just a washed-up, former Pro Bowl RB that Jerry Jones plucked out of near-retirement to make it look like the Cowboys are trying to improve the run game.

Cook has cachet. People know his name. That is all Jerry Jones cares about, not actual football ability. Expect more of the same from Dallas' run game on Sunday.