Cowboys solution to their biggest offensive problem is utterly depressing

The Dallas Cowboys' front office, led by the allegedly peerless Jerry Jones, spent its summer dragging out contract negotiations with CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott. That meant ruffling feathers in the locker room and doing next to nothing to actually improve the roster. Dallas let several key pieces walk in free agency.

Among the most notable players to depart was Tony Pollard. For years and years, Dallas has built its offense around a dominant front line and a prolific run game. Well, the Cowboys' O-line has never been worse, and now Dallas let its most dynamic and versatile backfield playmaker bolt. To replace Pollard, the Cowboys turned to fan favorite and former All-Pro Ezekiel Elliott, who spent last season as the backup RB for the last-place New England Patriots.

At 29 years old, Elliott has a lot of mileage on his knees. This is a two-time rushing champ. Zeke led the NFL in rushing yards per game in each of his first three NFL seasons. Once the most dominant offensive force west of the Mississippi, Zeke is now severely limited. The burst is gone. He can't explode through gaps the same way. He doesn't accelerate on a dime. Last season, as a result, saw Elliott averaged a career-low 3.5 yards per carry, a pace he has continued in 2024.

The Cowboys' primary alternative in the backfield is Rico Dowdle, who is averaging an indistinguishable 3.7 yards per carry through two weeks. We can certainly blame Dallas' O-line to a certain extent, but the Cowboys plainly have the worst RB in the NFL. We don't need to beat around the bush. Zeke's days of leading a competent backfield are well passed. Jones had the opportunity to add several marquee free agents at the position — Derrick Henry went to Baltimore, Joe Mixon was traded Houston, Aaron Jones is in Minnesota — but the Cowboys' owner-GM went for the cheap, sentimental, quite bad alternative instead.

Now, Dallas could pivot to a somehow even less inspiring option at RB.

Cowboys could promote Dalvin Cook to active roster if RB struggles continue

According to Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Cowboys could turn to veteran Dalvin Cook, who is currently on Dallas' practice squad, if their struggles on the ground persist.

"The Cowboys' run game is a problem and they know they need to get more out of it. They like the way Dalvin Cook has looked since they signed him to the practice squad, and they haven't ruled out the possibility of activating him to the roster if they don't get more production out of the Ezekiel Elliott/Rico Dowdle tandem at some point. That move doesn't sound likely to happen this week, but if they struggle to run the ball against the Ravens on Sunday, don't be surprised if Cook ends up getting a look."

Cook, 29, is a maddeningly comparable option to Zeke. He is 29 years old with a history of intense workloads that has diminished his present ability. Cook spent (most of) last season with the New York Jets, averaging 3.2 yards per carry. He appeared in 15 games (one start) to net 67 carries and 214 yards without finding pay dirt once.

Like Zeke, Cook is a physical, bullish runner who just doesn't have the necessary burst or elusiveness to succeed at this stage of his career. It can't hurt for Dallas to give Cook a look, but the fact that he is the only viable alternative in Dallas' organization is an indictment on Jerry Jones and the front office. Dallas was presented with ample opportunities to upgrade the RB room this summer and refused.

The only semblance of an explanation is that Jones was pinching pennies to inevitably sign Lamb and Prescott, who both inked historic contracts despite the long wait and Jones' overt posturing. So, Dallas didn't save any money in the end, and the Cowboys just let the roster margins crumble while those talks dragged on ad infinitum.

Good job, Jerry.