FRISCO – Anytime a star player suddenly finds himself as a free agent, it is seemingly a safe bet that the Dallas Cowboys will be mentioned as a potential landing spot by the media.

But what if Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy allows himself to be drawn into the speculation.

Part of what is currently transpiring with recently released running back Dalvin Cook, who, after being let go by the New York Jets? Media outlets are linking him to Dallas. But they are doing so without any sourcing or even evidence from inside The Star.

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.

Rumor: Cowboys Signing Dalvin Cook A Popular Media Idea

Read More

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 a Cowboys offense that has struggled for consistency when running the ball, as evidenced by their 4.1 yards per carry, which ranks outside of the top-15 in the NFL, be aided by adding a helper for Tony Pollard? Is Dalvin clearly superior to Rico Dowdle, the “angry-running” Pollard backup?

Is There A Dallas Cowboys Holdup In Signing La’el Collins?

Read More

Judging how things worked out in New York, where Cook was asked to play a similar role, maybe the Cowboys are better off sticking with Dowdle as their primary backup to Pollard.

But “always visiting”? McCarthy’s answer makes this far more interesting than a simple “no.”