Dallas Cowboys Get Tony Pollard for Backup Running Back

The Dallas Cowboys addressed an area many felt they would when they drafted running back Tony Pollard of Memphis in the 4th round of the NFL Draft.

The Dallas Cowboys killed two birds with one stone in Round 4 of the 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville. In fact, just west of that city is Memphis, which is where running back Tony Pollard had been making plays for the Memphis Tigers over the past three seasons.

Now, the 5-11, 200-pound running back will suit up with the Dallas Cowboys and his job description is clear.

Pollard will not only back up the best running back in the NFL in Ezekiel Elliott, but he’ll also score immediate work on special teams.

How many times did we have to watch Cole Beasley catch punts while waving at the sky? He’d always make the catch, but there was seldom any yards gained after the catch.

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Pollard is a bona fide return specialist, as the video below clearly illustrates. I do think some of Pollard’s success in this area stems from the lower level of competition he faced in the AAC, but there’s no question he’s difficult to tackle and he’s fearless with the football in his hands.

When watching Pollard out of the backfield, you’ll see that he strongly resembles Elliott in his ability to catch the football and do big things when he’s got it. He’s completely comfortable running screen plays and it seems more and more clear why the Dallas Cowboys had an interest here the more you watch.

I suppose the next line of speculation is going to be whether or not Tony Pollard ends up the starting running back in Dallas after the 2020 season should Elliott be allowed to walk in free agency.

Or what if Elliott ends up traded in the same kind of move that sent Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings 30 years ago? We’re seeing a lot of trades for draft picks as of late and this might be a future cost-cutting move after 2019 as the salary cap starts to close in on the Cowboys. The Cowboys have Elliott through 2020, but after that it’s anybody’s guess considering the kind of salary the star runner will be expecting.

I believe the Dallas Cowboys eventually figure out a deal with Elliott, just like they did with Emmitt Smith under similar circumstances in 1993 – that’s the other side of the pancake, as Bill Parcells used to say.

But however things go down, Tony Pollard looks like a highly productive player who has an immediate future with the franchise in filling a couple of roles that were clearly vacant. The Cowboys have made a few head-scratching selections in the draft over the years, but taking  Pollard in this year’s player selection meeting is definitely not one of them.

• Published on 04/27/2019 at 18:09 PM
• Last updated at 04/27/2019 at 18:09 PM