Getty Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
The Dallas Cowboys have time to finalize their decision, but the team’s top brass are already making it clear which direction they’re heading in.
The situation on offense feels far more liquid than the defense, as the team will likely see new faces at wide receiver and running back. But in terms of bringing back a familiar face, Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones is already revealing that someone will come back on the franchise tag.
In an interview with ESPN’s Todd Archer at the 2023 NFL Combine, Jones explained that the team won’t run from using the franchise tag in 2023, like they did with Dalton Schultz in 2022.
“Stephen Jones wouldn’t get into the Cowboys’ upcoming decisions regarding Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, but said of the franchise tag, ‘We’re not afraid of the tag. End of the day we’ll probably use it again this year.’ Pollard is prime candidate at a cost of $10.1 million,” Archer wrote on Twitter.
Obviously, that’s not an outright claim about who the Cowboys will franchise tag or when they might do it, but Jones made it abundantly clear that it will likely be a factor in 2023. Whether or not they use it on Pollard remains the big question.
Pollard an Easy Target for Franchise Tag
It seemed inevitable that Pollard would break out for the Cowboys in 2022, considering that he had steadily grown into his role with Dallas over the previous three seasons. After a steady increase in production, Pollard lived up to the hype with his first season with at least 1000 rushing yards.
PFR shows that he averaged 5.2 yards per carry, producing at a high rate despite getting more touches. He also set a personal best for receiving yards with 371 receiving yards, scoring a total of 12 touchdowns in the process.
After his marquee season, Spotrac projects a three-year, $27 million deal as his market value. The Cowboys would be “overpaying” with the franchise tag by that metric, but they’re not committed to Pollard long-term.
That is something they may want to avoid after getting into the current situation with Elliott’s contract, as his current cap hit for 2023 is $16.72 million, the highest of any RB in the NFL.
Cowboys Could Poach Rival Star
While Jones’ comments on the franchise tag sends attention toward Pollard’s way, there are other ways Dallas can address the running back stable and that could include signing New York Giants star Saquon Barkley.
Barkley has been one of the biggest names in the NFL since joining the Giants in the 2019 NFL draft, but is set for free agency. CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin recently created a “free agency draft,” which saw the Cowboys landing Barkley.
“With Tony Pollard headed for free agency and Ezekiel Elliott’s future unclear, the Cowboys could give Dak Prescott an unexpected boost of skill talent by pairing him with [Saquon Barkley,]” Benjamin wrote. “And they’d be robbing their rivals of a freakish athlete in the process.”
That’s a long shot to be sure, but it is an avenue worth exploring: a man of Barkley’s talents can be hard to find, and having him as a potential free agent signing may not happen again in his NFL career.