Cowboys Rumors: Tony Pollard Receives $10.1M Franchise Tag Ahead of Deadline

Tony Pollard received the franchise tag from the Dallas Cowboys on Monday after the two sides failed to reach a long-term contract ahead of Tuesday's deadline, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Pollard would make $10.1 million if he were to play under the tag in 2023.

More and more over his first three years in the league, Cowboys fans began to wonder whether Pollard had eclipsed Ezekiel Elliott as the team's best threat on the ground. That finally became a reality in 2022.

The 25-year-old led Dallas in rushing yards (1,007) despite logging fewer carries than his teammate. He averaged 5.2 yards on 193 touches compared to 3.8 yards on 231 touches for the 2016 All-Pro.

Pollard's season ended on a low note, though. He suffered a fractured fibula and a high ankle sprain in Dallas' NFC divisional-round loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The injuries couldn't have been more poorly timed as he was approaching free agency.

However, ESPN's Todd Archer reported in January that Pollard "should be at full strength well before training camp." In addition, neither injury was the kind that raised serious questions about his value moving forward.

When it came to Dallas specifically, Michael Gallup's torn ACL didn't preclude the franchise from handing him a five-year, $57.5 million contract last year.

As they looked toward the offseason, the Cowboys had a clear dilemma with the backfield, or maybe it was an easy decision depending on your viewpoint.

Elliott's track record speaks for itself, and he made for a good foil with the more dynamic Pollard.

In a perfect world, Dallas could keep both running backs.

Head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters in September he considered each one capable of serving in a No. 1 role.

"I think when you look at running backs—I know how I define them—[it's about] their ability to play on all three downs, and Zeke and Tony both have that ability," he said. "Zeke's done it his whole career. So I think they're definitely a tandem and that's obviously a focal point for us."

That was borne out over the season.

Retaining Pollard and Elliott means tying up a lot of money at what's no longer a premium position, though. In effect, the front office had to choose between one of the two if it wanted to have the financial flexibility needed to address other areas of the field.

With Pollard coming back, Elliott's days in North Texas might be numbered.

Cutting the 27-year-old before June 1 saddles the Cowboys with $11.9 million in dead money while saving $4.9 million, per Spotrac. Designating him as a post-June 1 spreads the dead-money hit across 2023 and 2024 ($5.8 million and $6 million) while saving $10.9 million right now.

Assuming Elliott is gone, the Cowboys have the NFL draft to target a replacement who can provide the needed depth at running back.