Cowboys Week 8 inactives: Ezekiel Elliott bailed out by stunning Rico Dowdle news

The Dallas Cowboys will have a different-looking backfield when they battle the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football. In a move that has felt inevitable for weeks, Dalvin Cook has been elevated from the practice squad with the hope that he'll provide a spark to the NFL's worst rushing attack.

Rico Dowdle has been serviceable as Dallas' lead running back. He figured to maintain that role despite Cook's arrival. That was until roughly two hours before kickoff, however.

According to the team, Dowdle came down with a sickness upon arriving to Levi's Stadium. Dowdle was initially listed as questionable while he was evaluated by team doctors, but he will be inactive, per NFL Media's Tom Pelissero.

It had been speculated that Ezekiel Elliott would be a healthy scratch in light of Cook's promotion from the practice squad. With Dowdle now feeling under the weather, the Cowboys have no choice but to dress Elliott.

Cowboys' Week 8 inactives

If not for Dowdle's last-minute sickness, it would have made little sense for Dallas to carry three running backs - plus Hunter Luepke - for the game. Many believed Elliott would have made way for Cook on the active roster.

Elliott's 10 snaps in Week 6 were his most since the season-opener. It unironically came after Zeke voiced frustration with his role.

Coming off a career game the week prior, Dowdle saw just five carries versus the Lions. Mike McCarthy owned up to that mistake, stating earlier in the week that Dowdle" definitely needs to touch the ball more.

It stands to reason that Dowdle would have been plenty involved Sunday night. Furthermore, Cook wasn't elevated to ride the bench. If Elliott could only get on the field for 5-10 snaps per game while Cook was on the practice squad, it would have bene hard to envision him having any role vs. the 49ers.

In other news, Micah Parsons and DaRon Bland had already been ruled out. Rookie cornerback Caelen Carson will miss his fourth straight game with a shoulder injury. Cornerback Andrew Booth and offensive tackle Matt Waletzko are the only two healthy scratches.

49ers Week 8 inactives

On the 49ers side of things, star playmakers Deebo Samuel (illness) and George Kittle (sprained) will both play. They won't have Christian McCaffrey, Jajuan Jennings, or Brandon Aiyuk, but Cowboys fans know better by now than to overlook San Francisco.

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