If the Cowboys re-sign Tony Pollard, this part of his game has to be utilized more
With talk that the Cowboys and running back Tony Pollard may not be parting ways this offseason after all, it’s fair to look at last year and question how well Pollard now fits in Dallas’ offense. One area of Pollard’s game that seemed especially limited in 2023 was receiving, and the coaching staff had better figure out why if they’re going to extend this relationship any further.
Playing on the franchise tag as the full-time starter after Ezekiel Elliott’s exit, Pollard was in for a career-high 836 offensive snaps last year. That was up 267 snaps from his previous high in 2022. Despite all this extra time on the field, though, Pollard’s usage in the passing game only went up from 55 targets last season to just 67 in 2023.
Going from a change-up back to the starter certainly matters; you’re in for more of the running downs and not coming in fresh for more passing opportunities. And the shift from Kellen Moore’s offense, which was the only one Pollard’s known since entering the NFL, to Mike McCarthy and Brian Schottenheimer’s scheme was another critical factor. But for whatever reasons, Pollard wasn’t the same back in 2023.
Just like his touches as runner, Pollard’s effectiveness as a receiver declined last year. He averaged a career-low 5.7 yards per catch, down from 9.5 the year before, and had no receiving touchdowns. That leads to some “chicken vs egg” here in terms of how much poorer results as a target led to decreased utilization. But game-by-game tracking shows Pollard was getting about the same number of targets early in the season as he was throughout the year, which speaks to more of an overarching strategic shift than a reaction to his performance.
Pollard’s recovery from the late-season leg injury in 2022 wasn’t really a factor, either. While he did seem more like his old self in the run game later in the season, Pollard’s efficiency as a receiving target didn’t improve from the early games. He simply seemed more out of place in the new offensive design than in the previous one.
Despite McCarthy’s offseason declarations of a renewed focus on running the ball in 2023, Dallas still aired it out as much as ever. The 2024 Cowboys likely won’t be too different, not with an elite receiver in CeeDee Lamb, a rising star in TE Jake Ferguson, and veteran WR Brandin Cooks expected back. These targets out in the field should make life easier for a running back with Pollard’s skills to do damage out of the backfield. If he’s going to return next year, McCarthy and Schottenheimer have to figure out how to make him a more productive contributor.
To be fair, McCarthy’s never been known for making running backs look great. But even Eddie Lacy got 55 targets as a receiver one season in Green Bay. Pollard certainly merits more consideration in the passing game than that.
Bringing Tony Pollard back, especially for a supposed discount, may sound nice on the surface. He’ll only be 27 when the season starts and should have at least a couple of good years left. But last year’s issues had less to do with his health and more to do with the offensive scheme. The same coach and coordinator are here, so the real question is if Pollard is really still the right back for the Cowboys offense.