Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images Dalvin Cook will be getting his first opportunity with the Cowboys on Sunday night. It’s time for the Dallas Cowboys offense to cook. During an appearance on Friday with 105.3 The Fan, Stephen Jones alluded to Dalvin Cook potentially hitting the field this weekend for the first time as a Cowboy. “Mike (McCarthy) and (OC Brian Schottenheimer) have been talking to us about how it’s about time for him to get his opportunity. We’ll see how everything goes tomorrow and make that call.” Now, the speculation is confirmed. It was announced on Saturday that Cook will be elevated ahead of Sunday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers. Confirmed/Official. Dalvin Cook has been officially elevated from the #Cowboys practice squad — prepped to make his Dallas debut vs. 49ers. Also: John Stephens Jr. to IRAmani Oruwariye to 53-man roster pic.twitter.com/DcWNdeNOYi — Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) October 26, 2024 It’s no secret that Dallas has struggled to get its rushing offense through the first half of the season. Per NFL Pro, the Cowboys’ rushing attack ranks 22nd in success rate (38.3 percent) and 32nd in rushing yards per game (77.2). When Cook signed with the Cowboys practice squad before the season, Mike McCarthy said he liked what he saw from his workout but would need a few weeks to adjust to the new offense and verbiage. The adjustment period has been way longer than expected. To McCarthy’s credit, he was patient with his running back room to see what they could do with more opportunities. Outside of Rico Dowdle, the team may have seen enough. Cook spent the 2023 season with the New York Jets and had a brief run with the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs. The four-time Pro Bowl back couldn’t find his footing with the Jets offense, rushing for 214 yards on 67 carries. Cook’s rushing success rate was 38.8, the lowest of his pro career. Having watched the Jets offense last season, it is okay to give him a brief pass in what was a terrible situation for any offensive player. Finally earning an opportunity with Dallas, there is pressure on Cook to give the backfield and offense a much-needed boost. Running against the 49ers could be a tough matchup as they currently rank 12th in the league, allowing 112.9 rushing yards per game. However, if the Cowboys want to see what Cook can provide the rest of the way, throw him to the wolves with nothing to lose. With this elevation, there could be a ripple effect. Does this mean Dowdle will have fewer snaps on offense? Or is former franchise superstar Ezekiel Elliott the odd man out? The team has two practice squad elevations remaining for Cook before he needs to be a member of the active roster. Perhaps they will evaluate their running back rotation over the next few weeks with a few elevations in their back pocket. After that, all bets are off for what Dallas does next. Right now, Cook could be the spark the Cowboys desperately need.

Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images The Dalvin Cook discussion will not go away Everyone knew coming into the season that the Dallas Cowboys were in need of help at the running back position, especially after Tony Pollard left for the Tennessee Titans in free agency. They Cowboys decided not to meaningfully address that during the free agency period or the draft, leaving them in a tough spot despite bringing back veteran Ezekiel Elliott. It simply hasn’t worked so far for the Cowboys in the running game. It’s the worst in the NFL at 77 yards per game. In fact, the second longest run by the Cowboys this season came from wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, which is further evidence of how bad it’s been toting the rock. So, with that being said, the time is right for Dallas to finally pull the trigger on veteran Dalvin Cook and have him added to the active roster from the practice squad. Rico Dowdle has been the most effective runner for the Cowboys, but he’s only averaging a little over 40 yards a game. He mentioned that the Cowboys were tweaking some things heading into playing the San Francisco 49ers. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer mentioned that one of the ways that Dallas wants to be effective is running outside zone. We’ll, throughout his career, that’s where Cook has shined. Getting him on the edge and allowing him to make one cut and get upfield has been his bread and butter. Is he what he once was? Of course not. However, if anyone on the Cowboys can have a shot in the outside zone concept, it is more than likely Cook. With the current state of the running back room, what do the Cowboys have to lose at this point? Head coach Mike McCarthy spoke about the running back situation, and he mentioned that Cook has been getting reps with the first team. That was also confirmed by Patrik Walker of DallasCowboys.com on Friday on the AtoZSports morning show. So, it looks like this week is the chance to see Cook take the field for the first time in 2024, and quite frankly, the Cowboys need to see what he has. Dallas needs a win, and this won’t be easy even with a banged up 49ers team. It makes perfect sense to go all out and push all the chips to the middle of the table this Sunday, and one of them should be getting Cook in the mix and see if they can salvage this rushing attack.

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys is here. High 5: Pay attention to these five matchups – Kyle Youmans, DallasCowboys.com These matchups will go a long way in determining who wins when the Cowboys and 49ers play. 5) CeeDee Lamb vs. Deommodore Lenoir – The criticism around CeeDee Lamb’s performance this season has centered around his lack of efficiency. Where his numbers have taken a steep drop in multiple areas like catch percentage, yards per target, and more. This week, he should see Deommodore Lenoir more than any other cornerback in the San Francisco secondary. A player who has struggled at times throughout his career with allowing the big play but has not done so as much this season. Lamb’s efficiency is down, Lenoirs is up. Should be an interesting battle. 4) Demarvion Overshown vs. George Kittle – Even if Eric Kendricks is available for the Cowboys linebacker room, Demarvion Overshown will be tabbed with doing multiple things for this defense. Sometimes, that’ll be blitzing off the second level and aiding in run support by running downhill. On other occasions, he’ll be asked to drop into coverage and help blanket on of the best tight ends in the game. Kittle made Dallas pay in the redzone with three touchdown grabs last season. Overshown will be a big part of not letting that happen again. 3) Jourdan Lewis vs. Ricky Pearsall – Like the Lamb and Lenoir matchup, Jourdan Lewis and Ricky Pearsall will become very familiar with each other this Sunday. Pearsall will carry the load for this passing game that could be without three or four of their top targets because of injury. He has worked his way back, in miraculous fashion, from a gunshot wound suffered earlier in the season from a robbery attempt and will be needed to show his first-round skillset in a big way this weekend. All eyes are on Dak Prescott as Cowboys face 49ers Sunday night – Todd Archer, ESPN Dak Prescott is approaching the game versus the 49ers with laser focus. FRISCO, Texas — What did quarterback Dak Prescott do during the Dallas Cowboys’ bye week? He got engaged. But he did much more than that. He was at The Star a couple times and got some work in off-campus with receivers, including CeeDee Lamb to try to improve after a so-so start to the season. “I can’t be stagnant. It’s hard for me to be, so I’ve got to work,” Prescott said. “If there’s times that there’s a couple hours within the day that I can fit it in, especially whether it’s the bye or whatever, I’m going to make sure I can do that. Obviously just the self-scout, wanting to figure out what I need to do better personally, individually, to make this team better, this whole unit better, I wanted to get ahead of it.” It was no surprise to the coaches that Prescott would be around. “If anything with Dak you probably worry about him overworking and overtraining,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. As the Cowboys (3-3) open what head coach Mike McCarthy calls the “second trimester,” of the season Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC), all eyes will be on Prescott. They always are, but as the highest-paid player in NFL history, thanks to his four-year, $240 million extension signed hours before the season opener, the scrutiny grows. Dalvin Cook ‘in position’ to make debut for Dallas Cowboys against San Francisco 49ers – Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram Dallas needs a spark in the running game, and Dalvin Cook might be their last hope. The Dallas Cowboys are “in position” to elevate four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook off the practice squad for Sunday night’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. Cook could make his Cowboys debut after being signed to the practice squad on Aug. 28. If activated, Cook will work alongside Rico Dowdle, Ezekiel Elliott and Hunter Luepke in the team’s backfield as the Cowboys look for a spark in a rushing offense that is last in the NFL with 463 total rushing yards entering week eight. Cook can also provide a lift to the receiving game, as running backs have only accounted for 272 of the team’s 1,654 receiving yards this season. “Dalvin is ready,” head coach Mike McCarthy said on Friday. “I really like the work that he’s putting in. I think he’s clearly crossed over the threshold of the communication and the understanding [of the offense].” The Florida State product spent six seasons in Minnesota and earned all four of his Pro Bowl nods with the Vikings on the back of four seasons that saw him account for more than 1,100 rushing yards. Cowboys injuries: Micah Parsons, DaRon Bland ruled out vs. 49ers – LP Cruz, Blogging The Boys The Cowboys will be without two major defensive pieces on Sunday. The Dallas Cowboys had their final week of practice in preparation for their primetime game against the San Francisco 49ers. San Francisco and Dallas have one of the more historic rivalries in the NFL’s history. However, as of late, the 49ers have had the Cowboys’ number, beating them in their last three meetings, with the last being a 42-10 blowout last season. Although the 49ers are managing injuries and don’t seem as dominant, it’ll take a full-team effort to beat San Francisco. Here is how the Cowboys are looking after their final injury report of the week. #Cowboys injury report (Friday) vs. 49ers: DaRon Bland, Micah Parsons among four ruled out. Caelen Carson, Eric Kendricks questionable. Nick Vigil trending in wrong direction/questionable. Brandon Aubrey expected to travel + play. Full report: pic.twitter.com/d2IoWrLw0e — Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) October 25, 2024 The Cowboys were hopeful that Micah Parsons could play this week after suffering a sprained ankle against the New York Giants in Week 5, but Parsons hasn’t done enough to get healthy enough to play. Unfortunately, Parsons will not

Madden believes the Cowboys will find a way to win against San Francisco this week. The Dallas Cowboys are back from the bye this week and face a big test if they want to get their first win since visiting the Pittsburgh Steelers. Coincidentally that win came in the team’s first appearance on Sunday Night Football this season, and that is where Dallas finds themselves this week. Perhaps it is a good luck charm. The Cowboys will need all of the luck they can get as they are visiting a team who has had their number, to put things mildly, in recent history in the San Francisco 49ers. Since finding regular-season success consistently back in 2021, the Cowboys are 0-3 against the Niners, two games of which took place in the playoffs. Ultimately the Cowboys have not defeated their longtime rival since 2020 and have not done so on the road since 2017 (the Jeff Heath kicking for Dan Bailey game). San Francisco is a bit banged up from an injury standpoint at the moment, but nevertheless this game is never easy for Mike McCarthy’s unit. In an effort to do our best to surmise what is going to happen we have run a simulation for the game in Madden 25. You can watch it in its entirety below. The Cowboys managed to come away victorious here and in rather chill fashion. Things were a teeny bit tense early on with the game tied at seven, but then Dallas scored and never looked back before winning 22-7. Weirdly, the game had the Cowboys go for two after scoring a touchdown to make it 20-7. Sometimes Madden can be that way. If you are curious how Madden simulations have gone so far this season, for the most part the game has been all over the place: Week 1 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys lose to Cleveland Browns, 18-17 Week 1 In Actuality: Dallas Cowboys beat Cleveland Browns, 33-17 Week 2 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys lose to New Orleans Saints, 36-29 Week 2 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys lose to New Orleans Saints, 44-10 Week 3 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys lose to Baltimore Ravens, 21-14 Week 3 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys lose to Baltimore Ravens, 28-25 Week 4 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys lose to New York Giants, 28-21 Week 4 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys beat New York Giants, 20-15 Week 5 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys beat Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-14 Week 5 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys beat Pittsburgh Steelers, 20-17 Week 6 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys lose to Detroit Lions, 38-31 Week 6 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys lose to Detroit Lions, 47-9 All told the game has accurately predicted the result of a Cowboys game on four occasions with only one of them being a win; however, it was that SNF win in Pittsburgh as mentioned. Hopefully the Cowboys are able to pick another win up in that slot and calm everything down. A win against the 49ers, even as beat up as they are, would go a long way.

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Dallas Cowboys fans are down quite bad The Dallas Cowboys are past their bye week and can now get back to playing the games. First up is a trip out west to face the San Francisco 49ers. As we all know, the 49ers have beaten the Cowboys three times in a row, with two of those games knocking the Cowboys out of the playoffs. Neither team is having a very good season so far, Dallas is 3-3 while San Francisco is 3-4. Injuries have played a large role in the struggles for both teams. Now we find out that neither Micah Parsons nor DaRon Bland will be available this week after there was hope they’d be back after the bye. Last week responses to our question of confidence in the franchise going in the right direction was at a record low 3% affirmative. The bye week only moved that number to 4%. That’s a pretty brutal assessment of the job the front office and coaches have done. The Cowboys are underdogs in this game by 3.5 points according to Fan Duel. We asked even before we knew for sure that Parsons and Bland would be out whether you thought Dallas would win the game. Only 14% of fans believe Dallas will win.

Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images Here is the Dallas Cowboys injury report for Friday The Dallas Cowboys had their final week of practice in preparation for their primetime game against the San Francisco 49ers. San Francisco and Dallas have one of the more historic rivalries in the NFL’s history. However, as of late, the 49ers have had the Cowboys’ number, beating them in their last three meetings, with the last being a 42-10 blowout last season. Although the 49ers are managing injuries and don’t seem as dominant, it’ll take a full-team effort to beat San Francisco. Here is how the Cowboys are looking after their final injury report of the week. #Cowboys injury report (Friday) vs. 49ers: DaRon Bland, Micah Parsons among four ruled out. Caelen Carson, Eric Kendricks questionable. Nick Vigil trending in wrong direction/questionable. Brandon Aubrey expected to travel + play. Full report: pic.twitter.com/d2IoWrLw0e — Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) October 25, 2024 The Cowboys were hopeful that Micah Parsons could play this week after suffering a sprained ankle against the New York Giants in Week 5, but Parsons hasn’t done enough to get healthy enough to play. Unfortunately, Parsons will not be available in this crucial game. After practicing before the bye week, DaRon Bland (foot) seemingly had a setback and sat out this week of practice before being ruled out. Linebacker Eric Kendricks (calf) practiced in a limited capacity on Friday, and his status for this week is questionable. Despite missing practice Friday, kicker Brandon Aubrey is expected to play. Caelen Carson is questionable. For the 49ers, they are getting healthier as we get closer to the end of the week. We don’t have a final report from them yet, but yesterday Nick Bosa (elbow), George Kittle (foot), and Deebo Samuel (wrist/illness) were limited after not practicing Wednesday. All of them will likely play on Sunday. On a lesser note, receiver Juaun Jennings looks like he won’t play.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images The Cowboys could be without two major defensive pieces vs. 49ers It’s the most important game of the season so far for the Dallas Cowboys as they travel to battle the San Francisco 49ers. This matchup features both teams being extremely banged up, especially the 49ers. It looks like Deebo Samuel has a shot to play after dealing with pneumonia, and George Kittle is trending in the right direction as he tries to get over a foot sprain. However, they will he without Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk. This looked like the Cowboys would have a slight advantage when it came to some of their key guys coming back, but that may not be the case. On Friday morning, Patrik Walker, on the AtoZ Sports morning, show gave some updates on the statuses of All-Pro linebacker/edge Micah Parsons and All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland. Starting with the latter, it doesn’t seem to look too good. Bland did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday. So, the next couple of days are crucial when it comes to his availability after starting the season on injured reserve due to a stress fracture in his foot. Bland was trending to play against the Detroit Lions, but after a slight setback, they decided to give him some more time. In terms of Parsons, the word was that he was still limping a bit from the high ankle sprain he suffered back in Week 4. According to Walker, Parsons didn’t have a limp on Thursday, although he didn’t participate in practice. Like Bland, he missed practice on Wednesday as well, but the fact that his limp is gone is a positive sign. This being the update on both players, this late in the week is still concerning, though, which would level the playing field a lot for the rattled 49ers. The Cowboys are down their four best pass rushers at the moment with DeMarcus Lawrence not expected back until November. So, they could certainly use the presence of Parsons. However, if he doesn’t have enough explosion coming off the ball, he might want to give it another week. Dallas needs a win, badly. So, an eye will undoubtedly be kept on the availability of Parsons and Bland. We’ll have the final injury report alter today.