The Cowboys Have Made A Decision On A Key Veteran

(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

The Dallas Cowboys have gone against the grain when it comes to signing players at one position.

They have an affinity for signing running backs to second contracts.

First, it was Ezekiel Elliott to who they gave a massive second contract.

Now it is Tony Pollard.

But, Pollard’s deal is much more reasonable.

According to Adam Schefter, the Cowboys placed the franchise tag on Pollard, paying him just north of $10 million.

Cowboys now have placed their franchise tag on RB Tony Pollard, per source. RB franchise tag is $10.09 million.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 6, 2023

Pollard was one of the best running backs in the NFL last season.

He was named to his first pro-bowl team, despite having less of a workload than other pro bowlers.

Pollard was one of the best players in the NFL on a per-touch basis.

He was fifth in the NFL in yards per touch last season with 5.9.

In the past, paying running backs rarely works out.

But, Pollard is a unique case because he has yet to have a massive workload in his career.

Last season he only had a 50.9% snap share, which ranked 30th in the NFL.

His most rush attempts in a season came last year, with 193.

Pollard still has some of his best football ahead of him, and Dallas should be happy to bring him back.

But, one question that remains is what the Cowboys will do with Ezekiel Elliott.

He seems like a prime cut candidate, or at the very least will have to take a massive pay cut.

Elliott has been a shell of his former shelf over the past two seasons and it is time for the backfield to belong to Pollard.

NFL Bulletin