DMN
Rico Dowdle and fullback Hunter Luepke are among the running backs under contract.
Elliott or Cook could factor into that rotation. Elliott has maintained strong relationships within the building. Cook, a repeat team captain under Zimmer, would embrace being back with him.
"I think we definitely want to add to the running back room," coach Mike McCarthy said. "We're not done with that room by no means, whether it's a veteran, whether it is a draft pick. Signing Rico back was important. He's definitely someone that was part of the one-two rotation last year, so we feel good about him.
"But we've got some young guys in here that look to [make a] jump. .... You look at Hunter, Deuce [Vaughn] and even Malik [Davis]. I'm expecting them to take a big jump and compete for playing time."
Signing both Elliott and Cook seems unlikely, given the importance of youth in the backfield.
That said, the free-agent backs suit what the club is seeking. The Cowboys missed punch in their backfield last season, too often stalling in short-yardage situations. Despite leading the NFL with 29.4 points in average team scoring, they scored a touchdown on 64.1% of goal-to-go opportunities, seventh-worst in the NFL.
Tony Pollard, for all his strengths,
was unable to consistently close drives. A two-play sequence in Week 16 became a microcosm.
On Facebook at "Memories of...":
Dallas, Dallas Public, Texas, Texas Football, Texas Basketball, Texas Music. Come see us!