Watching game film during the bye week had to be difficult for Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, especially when it came to running the ball.

His offense was terrible in this department through the first six games of the season. They currently rank last in the league with just 463 yards on the ground and have two rushing touchdowns.

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That’s why McCarthy made it clear that Rico Dowdle will get more details in the future. Dowdle has been the only back in Big D who can move the ball consistently, and so such a move makes sense. However, giving him more touches may not be the only change. According to Dianna Russini from The Athleticsthe Cowboys should turn to Dalvin Cook, who took first-team reps at practice this week.

“Through six games, Dallas has 463 yards and two touchdowns on the ground – both totals rank last in the NFL. Dalvin Cook took first-team replays this week. The Cowboys believe he is ready to hit the ground running, so don’t be surprised if the veteran makes his Cowboys debut on Sunday night.” – Russini, The Athletic

Cook signed with Dallas in late August and was on their practice squad all year. There were times when it looked like they might elevate him to the gameday roster, but that has yet to happen. Instead, they have continued to work Ezekiel Elliott into the game plan, which has been difficult to watch.

Heading into a Week 8 showdown with the San Francisco 49ers, McCarthy sounds ready to give Cook a shot. There’s no reason to think he’ll be the player we saw in his prime, but it’s also hard to imagine he wouldn’t be an improvement over Zeke at this point.

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