Even Dalvin Cook knows the Cowboys are weak at RB, which explains his decision

The Dallas Cowboys landed on a familiar face to lead their rushing attack, opting to start veteran running back Ezekiel Elliott.

Elliott is well past his prime years, lacking the breakaway speed or change of direction that he had back when he was rushing for 1,500 yards a season in a Cowboys uniform.

This has led for many to question the Cowboys running back room, even though head coach Mike McCarthy has been high on backup Rico Dowdle. Dowdle has been praised for his improvements made over the offseason.

But it didn't surprise anybody when Dallas was actively in the market to acquire another running back before Week 1. The surprising fact was who they opted to bring in.

Dallas signed veteran back, Dalvin Cook, just weeks before Week 1. Cook's expected to come in and compete for touches in the depleted Dallas running back room.

Dalvin Cook understands he can make a difference in the Cowboys running back room

A few weeks ago, nobody really expected the almost 30-year-old Dalvin Cook to end up on an NFL roster this season. He's well past his best days, physically, due to the incredible workload that he was under while in Minnesota. Running backs' careers are notoriously short, especially when they receive the kind of bell cow volume that both Cook and Elliott got early in their careers.

That hasn't stopped Cook from believing in himself though.

The veteran running back didn't hold back when he talked about his ability to come to Dallas and take advantage of the opportunity that he had earned.

"Obviously I feel like this is a great opportunity for me to come in and help a great organization to win football games," Cook said. "And as I look around and I look at the running back room, it's a bunch of guys that I can go in there and run the football with."

This seems a bit like a subtle shot at the depth at the position in Dallas, if you ask me. He could have meant this more as simply believing in himself, but it's hard to ignore how shallow the Dallas backfield is.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Cook start as the RB3 in the offense and slowly insert himself with more of a presence as the weeks go on. Remember, he missed all the offseason workouts and training camp that he would typically have gotten. He has stayed in physical shape, but it will be interesting to see if he's in football shape right away.