Getty The Washington Commanders have been urged to replace RB Antonio Gibson with a "dual-threat" free agent from the Dallas Cowboys.
Upgrading the backfield is an opportunity the Washington Commanders can’t ignore in 2024 NFL free agency. Especially when Antonio Gibson is set to enter the market, something the Commanders can offset by signing Tony Pollard from the Dallas Cowboys.
The Commanders are the best fit for Pollard, according to ESPN’s Matt Bowen. He believes Pollard makes sense “on a short-term deal to create a backfield rotation with Brian Robinson Jr.”
Bowen advised the Commanders to reduce “the workload for Pollard while maximizing his dual-threat ability. In five pro seasons with the Cowboys, Pollard had 179 receptions, and in 2023 he rushed for over 1,000 yards for a second straight season.”
Tony Pollard & Brian Robinson Jr. 1-2 Punch Good for Commanders
Pollard would offer the ideal complement to Robinson. While the latter is a steady grinder between the tackles, Pollard is a versatile big-play threat.
Speed attacking the edges of defenses defines Pollard’s rushing style. Like for this run against the Commanders in Week 12.
Tony Pollard with the speed 💨
📺: #WASvsDAL on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus t.co/N5H8Nc0xKc
Back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons are impressive additions to Pollard’s CV, but he’s more of a boom-or-bust runner, rather than a true workhorse. His modest 14.8 rushing attempts per game last season was a career high, per Pro Football Reference.
What Pollard does for an offense is expand the scheme. His versatility to be moved across formations as a pass-catcher would fit the expansive system preferred by Commanders’ offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
Pollard played 15 percent of his snaps for the Cowboys out wide or in the slot during the 2022 season, according to Josh Norris of Underdog Fantasy. Pollard still moved around last season, but he snagged most of his career-best 55 catches behind the line of scrimmage. That’s borne out by Pollard averaging -0.2 yards before catch per reception.
Kingsbury could use Pollard in a more creative way. A way Gibson was rarely used.
Tony Pollard Perfect for the Antonio Gibson Role
Like Pollard, Gibson played some receiver at Memphis. Unfortunately, the Commanders rarely took advantage of Gibson’s positional flexibility.
Instead, the team’s third-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft never averaged more than 3.1 receptions per game, according to Pro Football Reference. Erratic usage of Gibson’s talents is one reason why the Commanders are already being urged to find replacements, including a 107-catch Pro Bowler.
Pollard could be a better fit because he already knows how to work in a backfield reliant on a committee approach. That’s what he did when Ezekiel Elliott was still the lead back for the Cowboys from 2019-’21.
New Commanders’ head coach Dan Quinn saw firsthand how well the Pollard and Elliott partnership worked during the 2021 and ’22 campaigns. So recreating a similar double act featuring Pollard and Robinson shouldn’t be a problem.
Elliott was the power back for short-yardage situations and goal-line offense. Pollard served as the utility back who contributed in both phases of the offense between the 20s.
The same dynamic would serve the Commanders well. Particularly with the franchise likely to select a quarterback with either the second or first-overall pick in this year’s draft.
A rookie signal-caller will have an easier time adjusting to the pros if he’s able to lean on a multi-purpose ground attack.