Why Jerry Jones likes depth in running back room, downplays elevating Dalvin Cook vs. Ravens

In his weekly radio hit on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday, Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones refuted any notion that the running back room is not up to standard through two games despite Dallas only generating 126 rushing yards from its trio of Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn.

“We were pleased,” Jones said of the running back group’s performance on Sunday against the Saints, despite the group only rushing for 57 yards in a 44-19 defeat.

When asked directly if a trade or outside signing could be made – such as the one Kansas City made on Tuesday morning in acquiring Kareem Hunt in the wake of a major injury to starter Isiah Pacheco – Jones continued to praise his group.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. “I like where we are with our running backs. We have good depth. We just didn’t get to see them run Sunday.”

Creativity in the running game has seen head coach and offensive play caller Mike McCarthy utilize varying personnel out of the backfield by getting wide receivers KaVontae Turpin, CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks involved on a series of jet sweeps. Through the first two games, that trio has combined for 29 yards on six attempts.

An additional personnel wrinkle that the Cowboys have available is four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook, who was signed to the practice squad before the season and has been seen during media availability in practices working one-on-one with running backs coach Jeff Blasko.

When asked if his availability could be looked at going forward, Jones continued to offer more confidence into the running backs already on the active roster.

“I don’t see a change that could involve [Dalvin] Cook this week,” Jones said.

The Cowboys head into week three against the Baltimore Ravens as the No. 25 team in total rushing and without a rusher with more than 56 yards (Ezekiel Elliott). They will face the No. 1 rush defense through two weeks in the season with the Ravens only allowing 99 yards on the ground against the Chiefs and Raiders.