Cowboys’ RB Questionable After Falling Ill When Arriving at Stadium

Dallas Cowboys starting running back Rico Dowdle is listed as questionable for Sunday Night Football matchup against the San Francisco 49ers due to illness.

Dowlde is said to have become sick upon arriving at Levi’s Stadium prior to game time.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero shared the news via Twitter/X.

Dowdle has played in six games with five starts thus far this season. The Cowboys sit at 3-3 prior to Week 8 and are coming off a Week 7 bye. Dallas will look to take advantage of the hobbled 49ers on primetime.

Dowdle has been solid for the Cowboys in his first year as a starter. Through six games, Dowdle has tallied 59 rush attempts for 246 yards, zero touchdowns, and averaged 4.2 yards per attempt. However, Dowdle does have two touchdowns through the air.

Dowdle has spent his entire career with Dallas, dating back to 2020, when the Cowboys signed him as an undrafted free agent. He was one of ten rookies to make the Cowboys’ final roster, playing third-string running back behind Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard.

If Dowdle is unable to go, Dallas would likely turn to Elliott, Deuce Vaughn, and potentially Dalvin Cook. Cook is set to make his Cowboys debut on Sunday against the 49ers. He was signed to the practice squad a week before the season started.

On Friday, head coach Mike McCarthy said Cook was ready for the opportunity.

The Cowboys’ running back has been below average through the first six games of the season. Dallas is averaging 77.2 rushing yards per game, the lowest in the NFL, and has gone a franchise-record 20 games without a 100-yard rusher.

On top of Dallas’ yards per rush rank dead last (3.5), rushes per game are ranked 30th (22.2), and rush touchdowns per game are dead last as well (0.3). Dallas could use all the help they could get, and if Dowlde is a no-go, then Cook could be the boost Dallas desperately needs.

Cook told the Dallas media that being on the practice squad has been a grind for the last two months.

“Just keep your head down, no matter what,” Cook said. “No matter the circumstance, you still have to work hard, because I stuck to my routine throughout the season and then when I got to Baltimore, I was ready to go. I was ready to get the ball however times they needed me to, but it’s just unfortunate that I didn’t get it that much, but I was ready to go.”

Dallas is the underdog in this game, with a +5.5 spread.

More News: Week 8 Early Game Score Roundup

For more Cowboys news, make sure to head over to Newsweek Sports.