A standout player from the Dallas Cowboys is ready to compete against the San Francisco 49ers this weekend. The player has been waiting his turn to help this team win, and now he is needed more than ever.

As fans know, the Cowboys have had significant problems rushing the football. However, the team is determined to overcome this challenge and is working hard to improve their position in the competition in immersive areas.

The rushing famine was the result of lackluster front office moves and the coaching staff’s unwavering commitment to a former running back.

The Cowboys can turn around the issues with the running game, and could be just one player away from opening up the offense.

No running game, big problems

Most fans know that a good running game helps multiple facets of a football team. It keeps the offense balanced and gives the defense a break.

The Dallas Cowboys’ fast-paced offense has decimated a defense that is normally exhausted in the second half. Exhaustion can lead to injuries, and guess what? The defense has injured players in multiple areas.

Is this all the fault of the hasty attacks? No, it isn’t, but it could be a contributing factor.

The passing game is still doing well without a consistent rushing attack, but the defense can focus on the passing game and let the Cowboys rush the ball, which is not good for the team.

As it stands, the Cowboys’ running game is averaging 77 yards per game and two touchdown runs, also the worst in the league. The red zone offense has also struggled, ranking second to last in the NFL with a 37.5% scoring rate.

The Cowboys need to do better and see what other players can do.

Two of the three current running backs on the active roster are averaging three yards or less per carry.

Ezekiel Elliott – 3.0 meters

Deuce Vaughn – 2.9 meters

Rico Dowdle, who should get the bulk of the carries on Sunday, will be the running back to watch. If he can get the necessary touches, he has proven he can spark the running game.

Dowdle has yet to average fewer than four yards in a game this season. His receiving out of the backfield is also a reason to keep him in the game.

He averages over eight yards per reception.

That equates to an average to above-average running back.

The way the running back group should be set is Rico Dowdle as the number one back and Ezekiel Elliott as the third back on the depth chart.

But who should be the number two running back?

The striking player who should see the field on Sunday

Dalvin Cook should be the number two running back. He has been on the practice squad since the start of the season and fans have been waiting to see what he can do.

The Cowboys need to revitalize their run game, and Cook is a player who might be the answer. He expressed his enthusiasm to help the Cowboys before the season started.

“Obviously, I feel like this is a great opportunity for me to come in and help a great organization win football games,” Cook said in August. “And when I look around and look at the running back room, they’re a bunch of guys I can go in there and run the football with.”

Cook conveyed his excitement about the opportunity to work with such an experienced group of running backs.

“My years in Minnesota it was Dalvin, Dalvin, Dalvin, just give him the ball, now a little adjustment, help everyone, be productive, and that’s just my mentality. I’m going to be ready to go. Being with Zeke, I can obviously learn a lot from him. He’s older than me. Still enjoying the game. Also learning from the young boys. Being part of this group, I feel like we’re going to push each other.”

Jerry Jones and Coach Mike McCarthy have kept Cook out of games week after week. He may see the field against the 49ers on Sunday.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy provided an update on Cook’s status, suggesting the four-time Pro Bowl player could be elevated for Sunday night’s game against the San Francisco 49ers.

What do the Cowboys get in Dalvin Cook?

Cook is a player who was selected to the Pro Bowl in four of the last five years, rushing for at least 1,135 yards each season from 2019 to 2022.

In 2023, he played 15 games with the New York Jets. Yet he recorded just 214 rushing yards on 67 carries, with a career average of 3.2 yards per carry, due to a struggling offensive line and a rotation of quarterbacks, not including Aaron Rodgers.

He finished the year with the Baltimore Ravens rushing for 23 yards on eight carries in the 2023 AFC Divisional Round against the Houston Texans. Cook is just a few weeks younger than Ezekiel Elliott, who split time in the Cowboys backfield with Rico Dowdle and Hunter Luepke.

Dalvin Cook is a player who should be given the opportunity to show what he can or cannot do in a game. At this point, the Dallas Cowboys have nothing to lose and the running game can’t get any worse.