Cowboys VP addresses team's RB situation

Tony Pollard. Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Cowboys VP addresses future of team's RB position

By Clark Dalton | Last updated 2/27/23

Pro Bowl running back Tony Pollard will likely return to the Cowboys since the franchise tag is an option Dallas strongly considers, per Cowboys VP Stephen Jones.

"We're not afraid of the tag. At the end of the day, we'll probably use it again," Jones said while discussing decisions about Dallas running back room via ESPN's Todd Archer.

Stephen Jones wouldn’t get into the Cowboys' upcoming decisions regarding Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, but said of the franchise tag, “We’re not afraid of the tag. End of the day we’ll probably use it again this year.” Pollard is prime candidate at a cost of $10.1 million.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) February 27, 2023

Retaining Pollard, an impending free agent, is necessary if Dallas wants to make a Super Bowl run.

After breaking out last season, Pollard is a prime tag candidate. He led the Cowboys in rushing yards (1,007) and averaged 5.2 yards per carry -- seventh in the NFL -- while splitting carries with Ezekiel Elliott.

The franchise tag for RBs is valued at $10.1M, per OverTheCap, and is better than a long-term deal. Signing RBs to multiyear contracts can be costly since it devours cap space, and their production declines during the deal's duration.

Dallas learned this after signing Ezekiel Elliott to a six-year, $90M deal in 2019, per Spotrac. After averaging a career-low 3.8 yards per carry last season, he will probably have to take a pay cut if he wants to stay in Dallas, according to NFL Network's Jane Slater.

However, the Cowboys want to keep Pollard because he's a core offensive component. So tagging him gives Dallas a better price and marks its first marquee move of the offseason.

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