Second reason: Ezekiel Elliott’s roster replacement
If you’ve been keeping up with the latest Cowboys rumors, you’ve probably heard of running back Tony Pollard.
Pollard has remained a part of the Cowboys roster since 2019, the year Elliott inked his agreement, despite being the second back on the depth chart. In 2021, Pollard had remarkable growth, accumulating 719 running yards on 130 runs with an average of 5.5 yards per rush.
With a carrying average of 4.2 yards, Pollard ranked fifth among all running backs in the league, while Elliott came in at number 28.
With 100 less carries than Elliott, Pollard only had three hundred fewer rushing yards than Elliott. Pollard is a more diverse threat than Elliott because of his effectiveness as a receiving back, in addition to outpacing Elliott with his average running yards.
Pollard had 337 receiving yards on 39 receptions (46 targets) while Elliott had 287 yards on 47 receptions (65 targets) with the same amount of touchdowns as Pollard; two.
Elliott was given more opportunities on both fronts than Pollard yet Pollard did more with less.
While Pollard finished the year with only two rushing and two receiving touchdowns the reason why is clear.
Elliott cost the Dallas Cowboys money, so benching him to give Pollard more playing time would be the equivalent of the team owning up to its error. They also want to run Elliott as hard as they can to achieve a return on their investment, having already paid him more than half of the total amount that his contract offers.
In relation to investments In case you’re wondering how much the Cowboys are paying Pollard for his current production level—which is significantly higher than Elliott’s—his contract guarantees him roughly $667,000, whereas Elliott’s is worth $50 million. Additionally, Pollard’s four-year contract tops out at $3.1 million, while Elliott’s is worth approximately $90 million.
