Jerry Jones confident in Tony Pollard's full recovery following franchise tag

The Dallas Cowboys locked 2022 leading rusher Tony Pollard in for another season this week with the 2023 franchise tag. So far, they’ve opted for a $10.1 million price tag for one season, instead of what would be a much larger, more long-term deal.

Although the former fourth-round draft pick suffered a fractured fibula and a high-ankle sprain that required surgery, the Cowboys are confident he’ll return to form for next season.

“He’s an integral part of looking forward,” team owner Jerry Jones said at the 2023 NFL Combine. “I feel very confident that he can have the kind of recovery that won’t minimize or potentially impact, negatively, how he plays.”

Just because they have the one-year agreement for now, doesn’t mean the two sides can’t work out a bigger deal once the team sees him through his recovery this summer. The deadline to negotiate a long-term contract isn’t until mid-July.

Now that the franchise tag dilemma is settled, Jones and the Cowboys must turn their attention to their former first-round running back.

Jones eager to keep Pollard, Elliott together

Thanks to a $16.7 million cap hit coming for Ezekiel Elliott and another $10 million for Pollard’s franchise tag, Dallas will have a $27.68 million cap hit from running backs alone next season.

Although Jerry Jones plans to do what he can to reduce that figure, mostly by negotiating with Elliott, he made it clear at the NFL combine that he wants to run back the one-two punch for the Cowboys.

“I know I’ve got a reputation for being reluctant to look at great players as they go into the later years of their careers,” Jones said. “But I don’t need empathy or a feeling of ‘Look what he’s done for us,’ to turn on the tape and look at what a difference-maker he was last year.

“If I could replicate the feeling that I had before Tony Pollard got hurt, and the feeling I had with Zeke with good weeks of practice behind him ready to go into the playoffs, I’d dial that up right now.”

Elliott totaled 876 rushing yards in the regular season and just 53 rushing yards in the two postseason games. Meanwhile, Pollard notched his first 1,000-yard rushing season and made the Pro Bowl.