Tag: Tony Pollard

BREAKING: Cowboys RB Tony Pollard expected to sign with Titans

From @ToddBrock24f7: The 5-year veteran will return to his home state of Tennessee in a move that came within the first hour of the free agency tampering period.

Tony Pollard is headed back to his native Tennessee.

As first reported by Aaron Wilson, who cited a league source, the Cowboys running back will sign with the Tennessee Titans. The move came within the first hour of the NFL’s so-called “legal tampering period” prior to the official start of free agency.

Pollard, the former fourth-round draft pick who spent his first five seasons in Dallas, grew up in the Memphis area and played collegiately for the Memphis Tigers. The 26-year-old’s return to the Volunteer State will pair him with Titans rusher Tyjae Spears, as the team is expected to watch two-time rushing champ Derrick Henry leave via free agency after eight seasons there.

NFL insider Josina Anderson reported shortly after the announcement that Pollard will sign a three-year deal worth $24 million. Those numbers could change as full details of the contract are made public.

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While the Cowboys elected not to franchise tag Pollard for a second time, there was some belief that the organization was interested in bringing him back after consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

Per Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Giants and Vikings were among the teams also courting Pollard, but he opted for the largest payday being offered him.

Now Pollard is off to Nashville (though it won’t be official until papers are signed on Wednesday at the earliest), and the leading rusher currently on the Cowboys roster is Dak Prescott.

Dallas has been mentioned, at least loosely, as being a possible destination for Henry, in what would be a high-profile ball-carrier swap.

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Titans expected to sign RB Tony Pollard

The Titans are reportedly expected to sign RB Tony Pollard.

The Tennessee Titans reportedly have their first free-agent deal agreed upon, with the team expected to sign running back Tony Pollard.

The news comes from Aaron Wilson of Click2Houston.com. Pollard will now join 2023 third-round pick Tyjae Spears, who is expected to lead the backfield in 2024.

According to CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson, Pollard has agreed to a three-year, $24 million deal, although we don’t have all the details of it at the moment, so it’s hard to fully gauge it.

A former fourth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2019, Pollard has tallied over 1,000 rushing yards in each of the past two years. He’s also a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield, with 682 receiving yards in that span.

At 6-foot and 209 pounds, Pollard can handle the dirty work between the tackles and in short-yardage situations, which makes him a good complement to Spears, although the Tulane product is capable of doing the same.

Nevertheless, with his dual-threat ability, the Titans won’t be giving anything away when Pollard is on the field.

With Pollard on the team, the Titans now have a potent 1-2 punch at the running back position to help support quarterback Will Levis. This also officially means the end of the Derrick Henry era in Nashville.

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Giants ‘looking at’ Austin Ekeler, Tony Pollard in free agency

The Giants are reportedly “looking at” running backs Tony Pollard and Austin Ekeler as free agency approaches.

We’re less than 24 hours away from NFL Free Agency Frenzy ’24 and the New York Giants are locked and loaded for action.

General manager Joe Schoen has approximately $40 million in cap space to play with and plenty of holes to fill on his roster. Not all of Schoen’s moves will be via free agency, though.

He will undoubtedly use the draft to bolster the roster, as well as explore the trade market.

The rumor mill has been warming up the past week. The Giants met with the recently released Russell Wilson and could be eyeing signing him as an upgrade to the oft-injured Daniel Jones.

As per ESPN’s Dan Graziano, it wouldn’t cost the Giants very much to take a shot at Wilson:

The key thing to understand with Wilson is that he is practically free. He is owed $39 million fully guaranteed from the Broncos this season no matter what, and any money he earns from another team this year will be offset against that $39 million — meaning the Broncos basically get that amount back. Wilson has no motivation to do the Broncos any favors, so he has no motivation to take anything more than a minimum salary deal. If you want Wilson on a one-year deal, the most you would have to pay him is $1,377,500 (the $1.21 million minimum salary established by the CBA and $167,500 in additional veteran salary benefit compensation that Article 27 of the CBA allows you to exempt from your salary cap).

With Saquon Barkley headed for free agency and likely out of the Giants’ price range, they will have to look at alternatives at running back.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the Giants are “looking” at veteran backs such as Austin Ekeler and Tony Pollard.

The Giants are still in the mix on a potential re-sign (of Barkley) but are also looking at other options, such as Tony Pollard and Austin Ekeler.

The Giants are angling for inexpensive options at running back as they move towards a backfield-by-committee approach.

As for potential trades, a trade for Carolina edge rusher Brian Burns is a possibility. Burns was assigned the franchise tag by the Panthers, which will pay him $21.3 million for 2024.

Our Dan Benton recently went through how such a deal for Burns would transpire. It is also becoming more favorable with time.

The reality is, Schoen wants to get some studs on the offensive line. It looks as if he would like to land one of the top guards in this free-agent class and augment the group with some draft picks.

Graziano says that free-agent guards are ‘likely to do well’.

Kevin Dotson’s new deal with the Rams opened a lot of eyes. His average of $16 million per year is much higher than many anticipated, and the hope among the top free agent guards such as Miami’s Robert Hunt, Detroit’s Jonah Jackson and Baltimore’s John Simpson is that it will push up the ceiling for their own deals.

Schoen better pack a lunch, as there will be a lot of competition for those players mentioned come Monday.

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7 running back the Ravens could target in free agency

We’re looking at ten running backs the Baltimore Ravens could target during the 2024 NFL Free Agency period

The Ravens have several pressing needs this off-season, but one exciting position to watch will be running back, where three players (Melvin Gordon, J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards) could all move on in free agency.

Baltimore could add a player in the draft, but if they want to make a splashy or value signing at the start of next week’s free-agent period, GM Eric DeCosta has plenty of big-named options to target.

We’re considering ten running backs Baltimore could target with the new league year fast approaching.

10 running backs the Eagles could target in NFL free agency

We’re looking at 10 running backs the Philadelphia Eagles could target during the 2024 NFL Free Agency period

The Eagles have several pressing needs this off-season, but one exciting position to watch will be running back, where three players (D’Andre Swift, Rashaad Penny, Boston Scott) could all move on in free agency.

Philadelphia could add a player in the draft, but if they want to make a splashy or value signing at the start of next week’s free-agent period, GM Howie Roseman has plenty of big-named options to target.

The Eagles added a new offensive coordinator in former Cowboys and Chargers play caller Kellen Moore. He’ll look to institute a”physical, north-and-south run game” rooted in”getting downhill.”

With the new league year fast approaching, we’re looking at ten running backs Philadelphia could target.

Report: Tony Pollard open to discount to stay with Cowboys

From @ToddBrock24f7: The veteran RB is expected to field plenty of offers in free agency but would reportedly take a lesser offer to stay in Dallas.

Tony Pollard will hit the open market when the NFL’s free agency period begins next week. But the running back who has spent five years in Dallas may find himself right back with the Cowboys when it’s all said and done.

And to do so, he may even take less money than a potential suitor would give him.

According to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News, Pollard is open to a return to the Cowboys backfield in 2024, even if he gets a better contract offer from another team in the coming days. That’s from “a person with knowledge of Pollard’s thinking,” per Watkins.

Last season saw Pollard post over 1,000 rushing yards while playing on the franchise tag. He finished 2023 as the league’s 12th-best rusher in terms of yardage, but the former fourth-round draft pick out of Memphis never showed the same electric burst that had marked his earlier years as a change-of-pace back alongside Ezekiel Elliott.

The Cowboys, however, maintained that they were pleased overall with Pollard’s production, especially considering he was coming off a brutal leg injury suffered in January 2023 during the team’s playoff loss to San Francisco.

Still, the front office elected not to use a second franchise tag on him for 2024, a move that will now allow the soon-to-be-27-year-old to test the waters of free agency.

Pollard will almost assuredly get offers, but he may find the market flooded with competing veteran ballcarriers. Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, Austin Ekeler, Josh Jacobs, D’Andre Swift, and Alexander Mattison are among the running backs also looking for new teams.

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Watkins explains that the team expects Pollard to field as many offers as possible before talking to the Cowboys about a potential return.

Pollard himself said as recently as Super Bowl Week that he would prefer to remain in Dallas “if I could choose.” And NBC’s Matthew Berry was told at last week’s scouting combine, “Don’t be surprised if they bring Pollard back.”

Now it may come down to the price tag offered by another team and how far off it Pollard is willing to come to keep the star on his helmet.

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1 pending free agent the Eagles could target from each NFC team

We’re looking at one pending free agent from each NFC team that the Philadelphia Eagles could target

Free agency is about two weeks away, and the Philadelphia Eagles have several players set to hit the open market. General manager Howie Roseman has to make critical decisions to fill roster holes.

While Roseman will likely look to the free agent market for answers, several in-house free agents are candidates to sign an extension ahead of free agency.

The Birds are set to have 20 pending free agents, and with another likely retool schedule on defense, the organization could conjure up a scheme for more flexibility.

According to Over the Cap’s potential transaction chart, the Eagles can easily create $35.4 million in cap space by making these five moves.

With the new league year fast approaching, we’re looking at one pending free agent from each NFC team that could interest Philadelphia.

Which 3 free agents named as ‘best fits’ for the Commanders?

Which free agents could “best fit” the Commanders?

It’s been a busy offseason for the Washington Commanders. After firing head coach Ron Rivera last month, the Commanders have hired a new GM (Adam Peters) and coach (Dan Quinn). Quinn then hired an experienced and balanced staff.

Next up is the NFL combine next week in Indianapolis. But the most important date for all NFL teams is the beginning of the new league year on March 13. On that day, teams can sign free agents from other teams. The legal tampering period opens two days before on March 11.

No team has more cap space than the Commanders. Washington has over $70 million in cap space and the ability to create more. While Peters stated the Commanders will build through the draft, free agency offers an opportunity for Washington to shore up some of its holes ahead of the 2024 NFL draft in April.

Former Washington safety Matt Bowen, one of the game’s best analysts for ESPN, recently previewed free agency and named the best team fit for the top 2024 free agents.

We’ll also include where Bowen said Washington cornerback Kendall Fuller, safety Kam Curl and former defensive end Chase Young would best fit in 2024.

 

Ranking 2024’s top 12 free-agent running backs

Top 12 running backs of the 2024 offseason

Given what they gave Miles Sanders last year, the Carolina Panthers probably won’t be sifting through the open market for a big-name running back this spring.

But just in case you were curious, here are the top 12 free-agent rushers for the offseason:

9 Running backs Minnesota could target in free agency

From Saquon Barkley to Derrick Henry, here are 9 running backs they could target in free agency

We know that the Minnesota Vikings are currently at a crossroads. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is entering his third offseason with the team and has the resources and ability to truly shape this team in whatever way he wants.

After going 7-10 in 2023 to follow up a 13-4 NFC North winning campaign, there are a lot of questions that he needs to answer and the offensive backfield is arguably the biggest one.

We all know that the quarterback position is the biggest one, but running back is just as big. Neither Alexander Mattison nor Ty Chandler have proven enough to set themselves apart as the starting running back for the future. Chandler has a better chance since he has the ability and explosiveness but there are real questions about if he can ever be consistent.

In free agency, the Vikings could look to sign a running back to help fix the running game. Here are nine options representing different levels of commitment.