Tony Pollard’s fractured fibula could impact free agency, Dallas Cowboys plans at RB
Running back Tony Pollard’s ankle injury that changed the game for Dallas Cowboys in the season ending divisional playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers could reverberate throughout the offseason and into 2023.
Per sources, Pollard suffered a fractured left fibula as well as a high ankle sprain.
The timetable won’t be determined until he undergoes surgery.
But it is expected to be a 3-4 month recovery.
That is bad news for Pollard and the Cowboys.
Coming off a career-best season when he supplanted Ezekiel Elliott as the teams leading rusher, topping the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in career with 1,007 yards, Pollard had hoped to cash in during free agency in March.
He is an unrestricted free agent and would garner huge interest on the open market if the Cowboys don’t lock him up with a long-term deal or the franchise tag.
Pollard, who also had 371 receiving yards and 12 total touchdowns, was set to be part of a loaded free-agent running back class, including Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants, Miles Sanders of the Philadelphia Eagles, Kareem Hunt of the Cleveland Browns and Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Of course, that was before Sunday’s injury in the second quarter, which changed the game for the Cowboys offense and could impact their plans in free agency.
There is no question that Cowboys want to bring Pollard back in 2023. He and receiver CeeDee Lamb were the team’s only reliable big-play threats on offense in 2022.
But at what cost, given his injury status?
The team would be hard-pressed to do a long-term deal with him not knowing when he would be available.
The same goes for the franchise tag, which is set to be $10.1 million for running backs in 2023.
And that is not even considering that the Cowboys have to make a decision on Elliott, who is scheduled to earn a base salary of $10,900,000, while carrying a cap hit of $16,720,000 and a dead cap value of $11,860,000.
There is no question that the Cowboys will ask Elliott to take a pay cut for 2023.
Does Pollard’s injury impact how they handle Elliott’s future?
The Cowboys need to get a firm handle on both situations before the 2023 NFL Draft in April when running back could now be at the top the team’s list of considerations.
This story was originally published January 23, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
