Cowboys won’t let Bleacher Report’s ‘breakout player’ break out

The Dallas Cowboys are incredibly lucky. Not only do they have two great running backs, but one of them is helping even out the salary cap by still playing top-level football on a rookie contract. That person is Tony Pollard.

Ahead of the 2021 season, it would be fair to call Pollard underrated and underappreciated. But last year was a breakout campaign for the running back. He proved his speed and efficiency and outperformed RB1 Ezekiel Elliott in several areas. Yet, the Cowboys still continued to feed their expensive running back who was dealing with an undisclosed knee injury.

Now, at least according to Bleacher Report’s standards, the former fourth-round pick can still be a breakout star. Bleacher Report named Pollard the Cowboys’ breakout player candidate for 2022. Now, some may read that and say, “didn’t he already break out?” But the reality is that while Pollard still had a stellar year, he did so while being given so few snaps despite his performance. Mike McCarthy even dismissed the idea that the RB2 was underused.

Elliott averaged a career-low 58.9 yards per game while Pollard had a career-best 5.5 yards per carry and managed to get 719 yards on just 130 carries. The 25-year-old earned the best stats of his career while getting only 27.5% of the Cowboys carries in 2021.

So, Bleacher Report is right in a way.

Bleacher Report names Tony Pollard as the Cowboys’ potential breakout candidate for 2022

Why are they right? Pollard did already have his breakout year, earning the highest rushing grade in the entire NFL from Pro Football Focus. But imagine what he could do in 2022 if given the snaps he deserves? Everyone knows that Pollard has the potential to be a Pro Bowl-level threat. But game after game he wasn’t allowed to prove that. If McCarthy and Kellen Moore finally allow him to be a bigger part of the game plan, he truly can become a top offensive player in this league.

Another caveat that may allow the running back to have an even better 2022 is that he is ready and willing to be more than just an RB. During offseason programming, he told reporters that he is ready to take snaps at any position the team will let him. He is prepared to be a running back, slot receiver, punt returner, and more.

Pollard wants to make the most of his pre-free agency year, and the Cowboys would be remiss to continue to hold him back from doing so. Dallas is already feeding Elliott a salary he doesn’t deserve. Now, they need to stop making the mistakes they did in 2021. If the RB1 isn’t delivering, feed Pollard. It’s a win, win for everyone.

The problem is… NFL analysts and fans can see this as clear as day. The Cowboys front office and coaching staff clearly doesn’t. Will they include Pollard in the game plan more in 2022? We can only hope. If they do, a first-time Pro Bowl nod could be on the horizon.