As recently as four seasons ago, Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook were among the NFL’s Top 10 running backs in yards rushing.
- 2019: Elliott (4th) 1,357 / Cook (10th) 1,135
- 2020: Cook (2nd) 1,557 / Elliott (11th) 979
- 2021: Cook (5th) 1,159 / Elliott (7th) 1,002
Last year, they were both on the Dallas Cowboys’ active roster. But neither put up anything like the kind of numbers they did between 2019-2021.
Not even close.
Elliott played in 15 of the 17 games, starting two of them.
He finished with 226 yards on 74 carries with three touchdowns. Elliott added 12 catches for 69 yards. In his two starts, he had a combined 20 carries for 74 yards and two touchdowns and caught three passes for 13 yards.
He was cut two days after the next-to-last game of the year and signed with the Los Angeles Chargers nine days later.
He never saw a single down in Los Angeles, never got off the practice squad for that matter.
Cook played in two games, back-to-back, in the middle of the season.
In the loss to the 49ers, he had six carries for 12 yards and caught a pass for 10 yards. In the loss at Atlanta, he had two carries for eight yards.
He never played another down in a game for the remainder of the season.
That’s quite a tumble from the numbers both put up earlier in their respective careers.
Elliott is less than a month older than Cook, but has played one more season in the NFL. The Ohio State alum has 9,130 career rushing yards, all but 642 of them with the Cowboys.
Cook has 6,227 career yards, but only 234 combined over the last two years with three different teams.
Neither is currently under contract with any NFL team.
Which begs the question: Could the Dallas Cowboys bring back either, or both, for the 2025 season?
Or maybe that’s the wrong question. Should they bring back either, or both, in 2025?
Roster Review 2025: Ezekiel Elliott/Dalvin Cook. This is Part 7 of a series. Click here for a list of all related articles.
Outlook For 2025
Both men will be 30 years old as camp gets underway later this summer. That is considered old by running back standards.
But consider Saquon Barkley, who just turned 28 on Sunday.
All he did this year was lead the NFL in rushing and nearly broke a 40-year-old record for rushing in a single season.
Oh, and he held the attention of Kansas City’s defense on Sunday, which opened up his quarterback and the passing game. That’s the biggest reason why the Eagles won the Super Bowl a few days ago.
Could either Elliott or Cook have another year or two left in their legs?
If they did, Dallas could probably re-sign one, or even both, on team-friendly deals. Especially if they fail to land a running back in the draft and let Rico Dowdle go in free agency.
Is that a wise course of action?
No.
Is that why Jerry Jones will probably do it? You bet.
Barkley probably has two more good years left before he declines. It’s unlikely he’ll be able to repeat his 2024 campaign.
Just as its unlikely that Elliott and Cook will be able to rejuvenate their ailing legs.
Long-Term Outlook
Both backs have signed on or played with three different teams in the last two seasons. That’s never a good sign.
If Cook had anything left in the tank, he’d have moved up the depth chart and probably would have surpassed Elliott.
The former Buckeye showed an occasional flash of his pre-2021 self during the 2024 season. But he couldn’t sustain it.
The running game, as it did two years before with Tony Pollard, took off when Elliott was relegated to backing up the starter.
It’s time to let both move on, and let some other team burn a spot and cap money on both players.