Free agency projection for Tony Pollard is moderate rate, worth considering for Cowboys

Free agents can always be brought back if the price is right.

When it comes to NFL contracts the general rule of thumb is that the price is always on the rise. If you look at the quarterback, wide receiver or edge rusher markets (places where the Cowboys could be spending before next season kicks off) the next man up generally comes in at a little bit of a higher rate than the last to put pen to paper.

A position that has found itself trending in the opposite direction for a decade or so now is running back. As time has gone on more and more teams are becoming hip to the idea you do not need to invest premium resources into the position. This isn’t to say that the position doesn’t matter, but the labor required can (generally) be found for more moderate investments than other positions.

It seems that NFL teams are prepared to really approach the position group this way in free agency this year. Big names like Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry and Austin Ekeler will all likely be free agents which means players might be able to be had for reasonable rates.

That includes Tony Pollard.

One projection for Tony Pollard suggests a moderate price could be his final number

We obviously have no idea what things are going to look like as far as offers for Tony Pollard, but given the season he is coming off of, and that he is a running back, they do not appear to be robust.

Pollard disappointed in 2023 despite rushing for over 1,000 yards, although in his defense he was coming back from a fractured fibula suffered in the Divisional Round of the season prior. The Cowboys placed the franchise tag on him for a value just north of $10M last season and it seems like he is slated to generate somewhere south of that from his new home.

What if that new home was in Dallas, though? Not to sound like the front office, but if the price is right then anything can happen. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently projected the price tag for a handful of running backs and linebackers and has Pollard landing somewhere between $4M and $6M per year.

Tier 4: Borderline starters/high-end backups

Free agents: Tony Pollard, Cowboys; Devin Singletary, Texans

These are two backs seemingly going in different directions. Singletary joined the Texans and eventually carved out a role as the featured back, setting career highs for carries (216) and rushing yards (898). He also held onto the football, fumbling just once on 246 touches after fumbling about once every 55 touches during his final two seasons in Buffalo. I don’t know if any team will ever be thrilled about having him as its starting back, but he deserves more credit than he gets.

Pollard, meanwhile, was franchise-tagged in 2023 and had his chance to prove his time as the featured back in the second half of 2022 was sustainable. Instead, hampered by the fractured fibula he suffered during the 2022 postseason, he showed little explosion and set career lows in yards per carry (4.0) and yards per reception (5.7). He got 17 carries inside the 5-yard line and turned them into just three touchdowns. Pollard is just 26 and should be fully recovered from his injury, but it’s going to be tough for teams to project him into excelling as a primary back in 2024.

Average annual salary projection: $4 million to $6 million

It is definitely true that Pollard disappointed on the whole of the 2023 season, but again the return from injury was clearly a factor.

When I spoke to him during the week leading up to the Super Bowl, I asked him when he felt like he was finally his full self this past season and he said the Week 11 game against the Carolina Panthers. From that point on he did rather well for himself relative to the field.

For conversation’s sake we will land in the middle and say that Pollard could be had (hypothetically of course) for $5M per year. This is not big-time money. This is well worth doing.

The proper approach for the Cowboys (and anyone, really) is a committee of sorts at the running back position. Pairing a moderately-priced Pollard with a rookie draft pick could really revitalize the running back room for the team.

This isn’t about Pollard not being able to carry things by himself or any sort of cliché along those lines. But it is undeniable that when at his peak with the team that Pollard was part of a group that featured significant contribution from Ezekiel Elliott. It would behoove the Cowboys to try and remake that and Pollard can absolutely be a part of that, again if that particular price is something he would be agreeable to.