But on Wednesday, McCarthy was asked about Dalvin. And … he answered.
“Those are questions you are always visiting with and so forth,” Cowboys coach McCarthy said. “Obviously I have a tremendous amount of respect for him, played a number of games against (him) when Dalvin was in Minnesota. I have great respect for him.”
Is that a “pat” answer? Maybe. But McCarthy could’ve used one of an assortment of standard lines to either deflect the question or deny interest. “We don’t comment on hypotheticals” and “We like our guys” both would’ve worked.
Instead … McCarthy allowed Cowboys Nation to consider it a possibility.
Cook, the former second-round pick out of Florida State, was released by the Minnesota Vikings this past offseason after six seasons in which he totaled 5,993 yards rushing and 47 touchdowns. Before signing with the Jets, Cook was still viewed as one of the league’s top backs as he was fresh off four-straight 1,000+ yard rushing seasons.
Yet, that streak ended in a very lackluster stint in New York. Granted, the Jets already had their star back in Breece Hall before signing the veteran Cook. But in the end, the 28-year-old Cook had a very unproductive 67 carries for 214 yards and two fumbles.
Could Tony Pollard’s addition assist a Cowboys offense that has been inconsistent when running the ball, as shown by their 4.1 yards per carry, which is outside of the top-15 in the NFL? Is Dalvin unquestionably better than Rico Dowdle, Pollard’s “angry-running” backup?
Based on the outcome in New York, where Cook was asked to fill a comparable position, it’s possible that the Cowboys would be better suited keeping Dowdle as Pollard’s primary backup.
However, “always visiting”? This is significantly more interesting after McCarthy’s response than if it were a simple “no.”
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