The Dallas Cowboys are not letting one of their two explosive playmakers hit the open market. RB Tony Pollard’s season ended on a sour note, having his leg broken on a drop-hip tackle against the San Francisco 49ers during the divisional round of the playoffs. The first-half injury happened with the score tied at six in the second quarter and Dallas on the verge of scoring. The next play, QB Dak Prescott threw an unacceptable interception and the game was all downhill from there. Dallas wasn’t able to do much on offense the rest of the way and Pollard’s absence was a big reason why.
The team has already stated it expects Pollard to be healthy enough to participate in training camp but there’s a second hurdle in the way other than health. In one week’s time, Pollard is set to hit unrestricted free agency. The fourth-year back out of Memphis may have had his ceiling limited by the injury, but Dallas appears unwilling to test the theory. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Cowboys will use the franchise tag if they have to.
The #Cowboys will franchise tag RB Tony Pollard if the two sides cannot work out a long-term deal by the Tuesday deadline, sources say. Dallas has been clear the tag is an option, and they aren't in the business of letting great players walk. Pollard will be there in 2023.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 4, 2023
Dallas and Pollard’s agent are negotiating on a deal currently, but if none is reached by the last day to tag a player, the team will use the move to secure he plays at least one more season with the club. The tag will cost Dallas $10.09 Million in salary; not bad for someone with less than $4 million in salary from his rookie deal. Pollard has also made money from the NFL’s performance-based incentive program for late-round picks, but the $10 million is still far more than what he’s ever seen as a professional.
Locking up Pollard, who had his first career 1,000-yard rushing season and scored 12 total touchdowns for one more season gives Dallas additional flexibility as they map out their backfield. The team is asking running back Ezekiel Elliott to take a paycut and his reps have spent the week of the combine seeing what the market looks like for him if he were to refuse and be released.
The Cowboys have some work to do to get below the salary cap already, and the additional amount earmarked for Pollard will create a need for even more room.
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