(Editor's Note: Over the next month, the staff of DallasCowboys.com is looking to answer the 20 biggest questions facing the team heading into the 2023 season. Today, the staff writers continue the series with a question about Tony Pollard and how he'll handle the starting job this year.)
7) How Tony Pollard Has RBI Success?
Nick Eatman: Make some house-calls early! That's how Tony Pollard is going to have the most success this year. If he can take some of these carries to the house with some long runs, that will not only give him and the Cowboys some confidence about his ability to be the RB1, but just imagine how much that will open up things for the passing game around him if Pollard can prove early that he still that home-run hitting speed. If he does that and manages to stay healthy, he'll likely return to the Pro Bowl again.
Patrik Walker: This coming season will mark the first time in Pollard's football career that he's been viewed as THE feature back, and though he has the chops to get the job done, it'll be interesting to see exactly HOW he gets it done. He will inevitably be tasked with doing more of the dirty work, including pass protection, along with getting grimy in the A and B gap probably more often than ever. I believe it's not a question of how, but more a question of what his durability looks like when the volume knob on his reps gets cranked.
Nick Harris: Being a complimentary back for the past few seasons has served Tony Pollard incredibly well, but there's an added responsibility when you're the man at the top of the depth chart. In addition to retaining his big play ability in both the rush and receiving game, Pollard will need to be reliable in short yardage situations and in pass protection to be the complete running back that Dallas needs. As far as statistically, I feel like the sky is the limit for Pollard with a new offensive scheme paired with him being the guy now. A true success for the Memphis product would be 1,200 scrimmage yards and 15 touchdowns in his first season as the starter
Kyle Youmans: Though the 61 regular season games of Tony Pollard's career, he has surpassed 20 carries only once. Now as the undisputed feature back in Dallas, he could possibly see more of those games. However, there should be a conservative effort to keep him under that 20-carry mark. His game is very different than some of the bell-cow tailbacks in the NFL where carries equal yards. He's a home run hitter, keep it that way. In his six career 100-yard games, five of them came with 14 carries or less and he averaged 8.9 yards per carry in those contests. Limiting his carries to under 20 a game will continue to keep him fresh through an entire 17-game season and allow him to do what he does best.
