Tony Pollard named Cowboys most underappreciated player

Dallas RB Tony Pollard is one half of one of the most dynamic backfields in the NFL. Alongside Ezekiel Elliott, the pair rushed for 1,721 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. NFL.com recently named Pollard one of their Most Underappreciated Players after what was undoubtedly his best season thus far.

NFL Network Analytics Expert Cynthia Frelund calculated the ranking by combining statistics like win shares with a player’s salary. Considering Pollard is still on his rookie deal, which ranks 174th among running backs, the Cowboys got high value from his contract last season.

“Pollard’s 6.4 yards per rush outside the tackles in 2021 ranked second among backs with at least 50 attempts, per Next Gen Stats,” said Frelund. “His success as Dallas’ No. 2 back helped earn him PFF’s second-highest grade (90.3) among all RBs.”

The former Memphis Tiger was one of the league’s most explosive backs once he got free. Real questions emerged through the season about who should earn more of the workload between he and Elliott. Dallas instead found success playing them together, which is a trend that’s likely to continue into next season.

“Given questions along the O-line, there is a strong and logical case to be made for Dallas to feature more plays with both Pollard and Elliott on the field,” said Frelund.

Pollard finished as one of the better all-purpose backs in the NFL. He rushed for 719 yards last season but also finished 16th in reception yards among running backs. While Elliott remains the feature in the backfield, Mike McCarthey and Kellen Moore can get creative with Pollard on offense.

The 25 year old Pollard is entering his fourth season in the NFL. After this year, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent in 2023. That leaves the Cowboys with one more season with Pollard under contract before he will be free to look for his due ‘appreciation’ elsewhere.