Will Dalvin Cook play this week? Jerry Jones delivers update on Cowboys RB for Fantasy Football Week 4

Dalvin Cook was signed to the Dallas Cowboys practice squad ahead of the 2024 NFL season. The four-time Pro Bowler was fresh off the worst statistical season of his professional career in 2023, spent with the New York Jets.

Ahead of the Cowboys' Week 4 game against the New York Giants, let's see whether Cook will make his season debut.

Will Dalvin Cook play this week?

According to Dallas Cowboys owner and de facto general manager Jerry Jones, Dalvin Cook is not expected to play on Thursday night against the New York Giants. This comes after the Cowboys suffered their second loss of the 2024 regular season to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

Per reports, speaking on 105.3 The FAN, Jones ruled out Cook's participation in the Week 4 game "because it's a short week."

The Dallas running back room is arguably one of the weakest in the league. This comes after the franchise struck gold for numerous seasons, first with Ezekiel Elliott and then with Tony Pollard.

However, since Elliott's decline and Pollard's departure via free agency, the Cowboys' running back depth has looked iffy at best. The current running backs on the roster are Elliott, Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn.

Unfortunately for Cook, the Cowboys don't view him as an upgrade over any of the running backs on the main roster at the moment. It might take an injury for the franchise to give him a shot in the backfield.

What happened to Dalvin Cook?

Dalvin Cook was one of the best running backs in the NFL from 2019 to 2022 with the Minnesota Vikings. Cook was a safety blanket and occasional decoy for the Kirk Cousins-led Vikings, and he earned four consecutive Pro Bowl nods as a result.

However, the Vikings released him in June 2023 after he declined to take a pay cut. He has since bounced around the league, spending the 2023 regular season with the New York Jets and the 2023 playoffs with the Baltimore Ravens. He is currently on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad in 2024.

Cook remains one of the better practice squad players around the league. He's one major injury to a fellow RB away from making a main roster squad, so it's up to him to grasp the opportunity once it comes his way.