Cowboys Rumors: Tony Pollard 'Open to Returning,' Taking Discount on New Contract

Tony Pollard's time with the Dallas Cowboys may not be over after all.

While the running back is scheduled for free agency after the NFC East team chose not to place the franchise tag on him, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reported Pollard "is open to returning, even if the contract from another team is slightly higher than the Cowboys' offer."

A team official also said the expectation is Pollard will get offers elsewhere and then talk to Dallas.

There would at least be familiarity in place for the Memphis product if he returned to the Cowboys, as they are the only NFL team he has ever known since they selected him with a fourth-round draft pick in 2019.

He started his career as Ezekiel Elliott's backup and was the speedy secondary option who could also make plays in the passing game and take advantage of a defense that had already been worn down by the physical starter.

That helped Pollard run for 1,007 yards and nine touchdowns on 5.2 yards per carry to go with 371 yards and three touchdowns on 9.5 yards per catch as a receiver in 2022.

The expectation was he would elevate his game to another level in 2023 as the primary starter with Elliott no longer on the roster, but that was not the case. While he still tallied 1,005 rushing yards, his yards per carry dropped to 4.0 and his yards per catch dropped to 5.7, which were both career-worst marks.

He also scored six touchdowns compared to 12 from the previous season.

It would be fair given that dropoff in production in a new role if teams were hesitant to give him a major contract in free agency this offseason. He didn't produce as much as expected when he was no longer just the change-of-pace back alongside another option and didn't fully take advantage of lighter boxes when defenses were focused on CeeDee Lamb.

Running back is certainly a question mark for the Cowboys with Pollard hitting free agency, so they would likely be open to bringing him back at a reduced rate.