Tony Pollard got off to a slow start with the Cowboys. This could be because of a rookie learning curve, a coaching staff that didn’t always play younger players, the ability of the starting running back in front of him, but he just didn’t get a lot of snaps. While playing in 15 of the 16 games, his impact per game was very minimal. This brought a lot of venom coach Jason Garrett’s way. Pollard would practice all over the field in training camp. He looked like a player Kellen Moore would use as a match up player who could also bring a lightning element with speed in the run game to Elliott’s thunderous power game. It just never came together for Pollard and Garrett’s reputation of playing veterans over youth shifted the blame to him.
Special teams was the one area the Cowboys legitimately gave Pollard a chance and he did his job poorly, only averaging 17.5 yards per return, one of the worse averages in the NFL.
Year 2 for Pollard was more what the fanbase expected from him as a rookie. He only had 15 more carries, but considering how poor the OL was with all the injuries, the back up QBs getting so many games, and a defense so bad the team could hardly run because they were consistently down big, it is understandable Pollard didn’t get a giant increase. In the passing game Pollard doubled his targets and almost doubled his receptions even with the starting QB hurt most of the season. The statistics may seem similar, but that is more due to the important injuries on the offensive side of the ball than a similar usage rate for Pollard.
Whether it’s from his increased offensive reps, the change to John Fassel as ST coordinator or just more experience as an NFL returner, Pollard also improved his return game. With almost the exact same percentage of special teams snaps, Pollard more than doubled his returns, increasing his yards per attempt by a whopping 6.4 yards per kick return and more than doubled his longest return as well from only 30 all the way to 67. He clearly was making better decisions and wasn’t the deer-in-headlights returner he was as a rookie.
Now he is acclimated to Moore’s offense, has his offensive line back and fully healthy, and Dak Prescott is back. This could be the year Pollard becomes the true lethal weapon he was drafted to be. They certainly have treated him as such through the preseason, giving him the RB1 treatment while Ezekiel Elliott sat out all four games.
What will 2021 hold in store? He’s a certified weapon in a sea of more famous artillery. Coordinators are going to have to focus resources to Elliott, Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb. That anonymity within defensive gameplanning will afford him well when he gets his chances.
Our 2021 player profile countdown continues, with No. 20 Tony Pollard.