The 2023 NFL season for the Dallas Cowboys did not turn out as planned. Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers’ offence overwhelmed them even though they won the NFC East and 12 games during the regular season. They did score 32 points in the defeat, but nearly all of those scores came during garbage time.
The offense’s inability to produce in the running game was a major factor in their struggles. Tony Pollard, the starting running back, averaged only 4.0 yards per carry despite having over 1,000 yards for the second straight year (1,005).
Tony Pollard Was Not as Productive as the Dallas Cowboys Hoped He Would Be
As was already established, Pollard’s 2023 average of 4.0 yards per carry was quite low. This was his lowest point to date. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry while rushing for 1,007 yards on 193 carries during the previous season. It was anticipated that a heavier workload would result in even more output, but even with 59 more carries in 2023, he still managed two less rushing yards than in 2022.
Pollard’s output decline extended beyond the run game as well. He has 39 receptions in the passing game in 2022, good for 371 yards and three touchdowns. He has 55 receptions for 311 yards and no touchdowns in the previous campaign. Thus, even though he had 16 more receptions, he had three fewer and 60 fewer receiving yards.
The Dallas Cowboys Will Not Use the Franchise Tag on Running Back Tony Pollard
This season, Pollard and other running backs have a $12,109,200 franchise tag fee. The Cowboys have declared that they will not apply the franchise tag to Pollard, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He will, of course, be a free agent as a result of this.
It is difficult to imagine Pollard earning that much on the free market given that he will not be tagged. He might not even have a contract to be a starting back. A team that contracts him might see him as a change-of-pace back behind a different featured starter because of his low yards per rush in 2023.
However, he did make the Pro Bowl in 2022, so perhaps a change of scenery is precisely what he needs. This is undoubtedly the wisest course of action for Pollard and the Cowboys, but only time will tell.
