Which rookie did Dak Prescott call ‘One of the most exciting players’ of camp?
The pretense is over at running back.
Rookie fourth-round pick Tony Pollard is now working exclusively with the first team in place of Ezekiel Elliott, who remains in a holdout.
Darius Jackson got the initial nod in place of Elliott because he was the most experienced player in the room. But Pollard soon began alternating reps with Jackson. He got all the reps with the starters on Tuesday, an obvious reward from his stellar play since the start of camp, culminating with a sizzling performance in the Blue-White scrimmage on Sunday.
The Cowboys drafted the speedy Pollard to be a change-of-pace option to Elliott’s bruising style, but he has shown the versatility and toughness to handle a larger role.
“One of the most exciting players to me of this training camp,” quarterback Dak Prescott said. “ The things that he’s been able to do running the ball, catching the ball out of the backfield. He’s making plays. And he’s really an intelligent dude. A really smart guy.
“When we’re in the offense, or in the offensive unit, or in the team meetings, anytime coach calls him out on his responsibility, without hesitation he’s getting that right. That’s what you want to see from a young guy. That’s what the players and coaches want to see. He’s been delivering. He comes out each and every day with that mindset of how can I be better than I was yesterday. He’s going to help us out.”
This story was originally published August 8, 2019 at 6:00 AM.
