Cowboys fans desperately want this RB instead of Dalvin Cook (and they're right)

The Dallas Cowboys have finally signed CeeDee Lamb, so they couldn't possibly ruin fans' good mood, right? Definitely not. With that said, though, the fan base did not take kindly to the news that the Cowboys are meeting with free agent running back Dalvin Cook.

This does not mean that Cook will sign, but a superior running back will become available after Tuesday's league-wide roster cutdown. Cook's decline has been even more sudden than Ezekiel Elliott's. In 15 games with the Jets last season, Cook's rushing yards over expected and expected points added per rush ranked near the bottom of the NFL.

Simply put, the Cowboys can find do a lot better than Cook. There is some buzz that Malik Davis could sneak onto the 53-man roster, but it seems the initial four-man backfield is set in stone: Elliott, Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn (just ask Jerry Jones) and Hunter Luepke.

It's far and away the worst backfield in the NFL. In other words, the front office should leave no stone unturned in search of a spark. There is one player in particular whom Cowboys fans have had their eyes on for a while and he happened to be teammates with Cook on the Jets.

Cowboys should sign RB Israel Abanikanda, not Dalvin Cook

Abanikanda was the best running back in preseason by some margin. He rushed 21 times for 129 yards (6.2 yards per carry) and two touchdowns. His 90.1 rushing grade was the highest of any running back, per Pro Football Focus. He also forced the most missed tackles (12) and had 107 rushing yards after contact, which was third-most at the position.

A fifth-round pick by the Jets last year, Abanikanda did everything possible in preseason to earn a roster spot. It still might not have been enough, however. It says a lot that he was used to heavily in the finale. That is generally when roster locks don't take a single snap.

The Jets have an elite starter in Breece Hall, who posted 1,585 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns last season coming back from ACL surgery. In addition, they are bullish on fourth-round rookie Braelon Allen, who is an absolute tank at 6-2 and 245 pounds.

New York also used a fifth round pick on Isaiah Davis, who forced 151 missed tackles in his final two seasons at South Dakota State and led all college running backs in 2023 with a 96.8 PFF rushing grade. Abanikanda has been a distant fourth on the depth chart all offseason.

The Jets may keep all four running backs, but Abanikanda was active for just six games as a rookie even after Hall's season-ending injury. GM Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh may view him as expendable.

If Abanikanda is cut, the Cowboys need to ditch Cook and make the call. He's improved across the board as a runner relative to last season, particularly with his contact balance and ability to shed tackles. With 4.45 speed and a 9.61 relative athletic score coming out of Pitt, he'd bring a needed explosive element to Dallas' backfield.

Simply put, Abanikanda might be the best RB that gets released in the coming days. The numbers don't back it up, but he is currently a better player than Cook.

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