No pressure, Dalvin Cook. But, just so you know, here’s the sad situation you are expected to help fix with the Dallas Cowboys’ running game.

Entering Week 8 the Cowboys …

*Rank dead last in rushing yards with 463. They have run for an astonishing 1,000 fewer than the Baltimore Ravens, who have 1,476 in one more game.

*Rank dead last in yards per carry at 3.5.

*Rank dead last in rushing touchdowns with only two. The Washington Commanders have 14.

*Rank dead last with 0 runs of 20+ yards. The Ravens have 12 and the Arizona Cardinals have 10. The Cowboys’ longest run this season is only 13 yards.

*Rank last in rushing first downs with 30, tied with the 2-5 Las Vegas Raiders.

After losing two offensive line starters (Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz) and their leading rusher (Tony Pollard) last offseason, it’s not surprising that the Cowboys’ running game has declined. But no one expected this.

And now it’s up to a running back who hasn’t been active all season and last rushed for a touchdown and 100 yards in a game almost two years ago to repair?

“Dalvin is ready,” Cowboys’ head coach Mike McCarthy said Friday. “I really like the work that he’s putting in. I think he’s clearly crossed over the threshold of the communication and the understanding of the offense.”

Where Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott have failed, can Cook succeed?

Last season with the New York Jets and Ravens he never ran for more than 35 yards in a game. His last 100-yard game and rushing touchdown came with the Minnesota Vikings in 2022, which was the last of his four consecutive Pro Bowl seasons.

Cook is trending toward being in uniform for the Cowboys’ Sunday night game at the San Francisco 49ers. He might be the solution for the running game. But after what we’ve witnessed this season, he can’t be any worse.