Tony Pollard is one of the biggest names on the 2023 NFL free agency market. The Dallas Cowboys running back has gone from a college wide receiver to a change-of-pace back to a legitimate RB1 candidate in his four NFL seasons. Now, the Cowboys must decide if they are going to choose him over Ezekiel Elliott moving forward. If not, teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams will come sniffing around.
As a fourth-round pick out of Memphis in the 2019 NFL draft, Pollard’s pass-catching skills made him an intriguing prospect as a third-down back. However, as the Cowboys gave him more touches, Pollard continued to impress with every catch and carry.
And every year, he got more carries and produced more rushing yards, culminating this season when he had 193 rushes for 1,007 yards in his first Pro Bowl season. And in his last three seasons, his yards per carry have been higher than Elliott’s. This season, it was 5.2 yards for Pollard to 3.8 for Elliott.
This NFL offseason, Elliott is set to have a $16.7 million cap hit in 2023, while Pollard’s free agency market value is around $9 million per season. So, the Cowboys have a choice to make. Do they keep Elliott and let Pollard walk, cut Elliot and give Pollard a big deal, or try and keep both? We’ll examine that question here as we look at the three best landing spots for Tony Pollard in 2023 NFL free agency, ranked.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Now that Tom Brady is gone, the Buccaneers have some hard choices to make. Do they burn it down or try to compete for another year or two with all the veteran contracts they still have on the book?
If the franchise decides on the latter, signing Tony Pollard would be a good next step. The Buccaneers were 32nd last season in rushing yards (1,308), touchdowns (five), and attempts (386). And the team plans of releasing Leonard Fournette soon.
The Buccaneers aren’t in great salary cap shape, with $-57,027,890 in cap room right now (also the worst in the NFL). But if they can get under the cap and sign Pollard, it can help them compete next season.
The one caveat here is that the team will have to structure his contract in a way that they can trade or cut him after a year or two for when the inevitable rebuild happens. Still, playing with a bunch of former Super Bowl-winning veterans down in Florida might appeal to Pollard.
2. Los Angeles Rams
Speaking of a former Super Bowl-winning team, the Rams could also get in the Tony Pollard sweepstakes this NFL free agency period.
Sean McVay and the Rams also had little rushing success in 2022. The team was 25th in attempts, 27th in yards, and T-15 in rushing touchdowns. Cam Akers was the Rams’ leading rusher with 786 yards.
Even with Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp back in 2023, the Rams need to bulk up the run game to take some pressure off the passing game. Signing a back like Tony Pollard would help do this, as he adds both more consistency and more big-play ability than Akers brings.
The Rams are also over the cap with a $-14,202,453 balance, but again, they can free up enough room for Pollard if he’s their main target. And if he is and the key players stay healthy next season, there’s no reason LA can’t become contenders again in the NFC.
1. Dallas Cowboys
Despite some intriguing options in NFL free agency, the best fit for Tony Pollard is to stay with the Cowboys. They are the best team on this list heading into next season, and Dak Prescott is the most reliable QB in the group.
The big question is, what to do with Ezekiel Elliott?
Dallas needs to cut the RB to free up space for Pollard. There is no longer any excuse to pay Elliott over $16 million, and cutting him will save just under $5 million. With that move alone, the Cowboys are halfway to a new Pollard contract.
The Cowboys can even bring Elliott back if he’ll take the pay cut, but if they do, the balance on RB touches needs to shift to Pollard. Last season, Elliott had 254 touches to Pollard’s 248. That’s as good a balance as the team has ever had, but it needs to at least flip to Pollard getting the majority in 2023.
If Mike McCarthy and new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer can commit to that, then the Cowboys are still the best landing spot for Tony Pollard in 2023 NFL free agency.
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