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

As fans know, the Cowboys had significant problems moving the football forward. However, the team is determined to overcome this challenge and is working hard to improve its league position in rushing yards.

The rampant famine resulted from lackluster actions in the front office and the coaching staff's unwavering commitment to a former running back.

The Cowboys can turn around the running game woes and may 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. This keeps the offense balanced and gives the defense a break.

The Dallas Cowboys' rushing attack decimated a defense that is usually exhausted in the second half. Exhaustion can lead to injury, and guess what? The defense hurt players in multiple places.

Is this all the fault of the hasty attacks? No, that's not the case, but it could be a contributing factor.

The passing game is still going well even if there is no constant rushing attack, but the defense can focus on the passing game and make the Cowboys rush the ball out, which is not beneficial for the team.

Currently, the Cowboys running game is averaging 77 yards per game and two touchdown runs, which is also the worst in the league. The red zone offense also struggled and is second to last in the NFL with a point rate of 37.5%.

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 per carry or less.

Ezekiel Elliott – 3.0 yards

Deuce Vaughn – 2.9 yards

Rico Dowdle, who should get the bulk of the carries on Sunday, will be the running back to watch. When he gets the necessary touches on the ball, he has proven that he can get the game going.

Dowdle has averaged no fewer than four yards per carry in a game this season. His reception out of the backcourt is also a reason to keep him in the game.

He averages over eight yards per reception.

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

The running back group needs to be built so that Rico Dowdle is the number one back and Ezekiel Elliott is the third back on the depth chart.

But who should be the number two running back?

The standout 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 are eagerly waiting to see what he can do.

The Cowboys need to revitalize their running game, and Cook is a player who may be the solution. He expressed his desire to help the Cowboys before the start of the season.

“Obviously I feel like this is a great opportunity for me to help a great organization win football games,” Cook said in August. “And when I look around and look in the running back room, I see a lot of guys there that I can go in and play football with.”

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

“In my years in Minnesota it was Dalvin, Dalvin, Dalvin, just give him the ball now, just a little change, help everyone, be productive, and that's just my attitude. I'll be ready to go. Of course, being around Zeke I can learn a lot from him. He's older than me. I'm still just soaking up the game. Also learn from the young people. As part of this group, I feel like we will encourage each other.”

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

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy provided an update on Cook's status and indicated that the four-time Pro Bowl player could be called up for Sunday night's game against the San Francisco 49ers.

What are the Cowboys getting in Dalvin Cook?

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

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

He finished the year with the Baltimore Ravens and rushed 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 shared time with Rico Dowdle and Hunter Luepke in the Cowboys' backfield.

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