Tony Pollard’s one year as the undisputed starter in Dallas went about as bad as anyone could’ve imagined. Here’s how and why he was dealt to the Tennessee Titans.
It was just a year ago that the Dallas Cowboys moved on from longtime running back Ezekiel Elliott. Elliott had racked up a plethora of awards since his inception into the league and was noted as one of the NFL’s best backs. Nevertheless, there was a budding replacement positioned behind Elliott– Tony Pollard. Elliott’s understudy and with the back closing in on time for a new contract, Dallas handed the keys over to Pollard.
The Cowboys franchise tagged Tony Pollard instead of Elliott, signaling a new era for a team that had so much faith in their running back room. After all, the Cowboys were enjoyers of the spoils of an excellent heritage of running backs with Ezekiel Elliott coming right off the heels of DeMarco Murray. The Cowboys expected a positive rushing year from Pollard– which it was. Even though Pollard rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2023– the Cowboys refused to hand him a contract and Pollard left in free agency to the Titans.
The simplest answer to the question of why did Pollard’s tenure as the undisputed starter in Dallas not work out is the fact that nearly all his numbers were down. In 2023, Pollard rushed for 1,005 yards– while in 2022, serving as Elliott’s backup, Pollard rushed for 1,007. While trivial in the decrease– the context of it was enough to make Dallas second guess their thoughts of investing long-term in Pollard.
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Pollard also only rushed for 4.0 yards per carry in 2023 compared to a highly successful and efficient 2022 with 5.2. Nearly every other relevant measure was down in 2023– yards per game saw a decrease, dropping 3.8 yards to 59.1. He did rank third most on the team for receptions however, understanding that shows how involved in the passing game Pollard was. Towards the end of the season, it was clear that Pollard didn’t have the same pop and burst as he did in years past. It was also apparent that three-year veteran Rico Dowdle was on Pollard’s tail– offering the Cowboys a much cheaper alternative.
Pollard skirted with the idea of a paycut to stay in Dallas– and that’s not to say that the Cowboys deserted the notion of having Pollard stick around. Instead, the team was in the running until the end when the Tennessee Titans– just having gotten rid of rushing crown holder Derrick Henry offered Pollard a three-year, mid-term deal that is set to hold $24 million in salary value. The Cowboys just weren’t set to pay that.
In a market and an NFL era where running back values have sunk tremendously, it was clear it was going to take a miracle for Pollard to stick around in Dallas. Dallas’ usage for Pollard also increased– 75 more carries for Pollard over the span of a season. Which, intuitively makes sense, but we can’t forget that Elliott missed some time in 2022, allowing Pollard to take a majority of reps.
Pollard just didn’t end up becoming the right fit for the team after the Cowboys went all in for him. This was a prove-it year for Pollard after getting franchise-tagged in 2023, the team was holding out to see how Pollard would do.
Tennessee is a homecoming party for Tony Pollard, who grew up in the state in Memphis. The Titans had a hole to fill choosing to not resign Henry who left for the Baltimore Ravens. Spotrac.com had Pollard’s APY (average per year) at $6.5 million. The Cowboys– wanting Pollard to take a hometown, retaining discount were keen on signing Pollard for less than that.
After all, Pollard only had one 100 yard game all season, and with the back set to hit 27, it would’ve taken hell and high water for the Cowboys to keep him. Dallas let go of Elliott after seven years of service, while Pollard was coming awfully close to reaching that mark. And while the draft hasn’t happened yet, this year’s class is jam-packed with a plethora of valuable running backs that cost cheaper and are younger with more life left in their careers.
The theory is Rico Dowdle will spearhead the running back room while a young gun comes in and learns the ropes. Then, presumably– the process will start all over again. The Cowboys have always seemed to let go of running backs at the right time, and it was clear that if Pollard couldn’t perform on his $10 million franchise tag, the end was nigh.
