Revisiting the Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott vs Tony Pollard debate after Week 5

Revisiting the Cowboys running back debate after Week 5

In 2022, the NFL has clearly become a passing league, but there’s still room for a strong running attack. The Dallas Cowboys know this, especially since they have two capable backs on their team with Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard

Elliott is a former NFL rushing champion taken fourth overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. Pollard was a former fourth-round pick from Memphis in 2019. During Pollard’s rookie campaign, Elliott was one of the best runners in the game and just fleeced the Cowboys for a six-year extension, on top of the two-years remaining.

For Pollard, this meant he would play second fiddle and has continued to do so. But as we approach Week 6 of the 2022 season, it’s time to revisit the debate about which of these two players deserves more carries. Is it Elliott, the veteran with a high pedigree but a lack of deep speed? Or should the explosive Pollard be out there more to help open up the offense?

The numbers favor Tony Pollard over Ezekiel Elliott

When looking at the sheer numbers, there doesn’t appear to be much of a debate. Pollard is outperforming Elliott in every statistical area except one — rushing attempts. After five games, Elliott has nearly doubled Pollard with 81 carries against just 44.

Despite this, Elliott has just 57 more yards on the ground as he enters their Week 6 contest with just 305 yards and one touchdown while Pollard has 248 yards and two scores. If that wasn’t enough, Pollard is also averaging 1.8 yards per carry more than Elliott — 5.6 against 3.8.

It would be safe to assume Pollard could keep up that pace even with more carries since he did average 5.5 per attempt in 2021. Hypothetically, that would mean a safe estimate for him on 81 carries would be 454 yards.

Is Ezekiel Elliott a better pass blocker?

One thing Elliott has always been sensational at during his career is picking up the blitz. This isn’t an easy task and there are times he should be out there due to his skill in this area. But is he really better than Pollard?

According to PFF, no. This season, Pollard is graded 6.6 points higher than Elliott in this area. He’s also No. 5 overall for running backs compared to 36th for Elliott. With there being 32 teams in the NFL, Elliott doesn’t even grade high enough to be a starter, let alone to start over a top-five player.

This is as much of a myth as it is to say Elliott is the bruiser of the two. Not only has Pollard been elite at breaking tackles, but he also averages 0.6 yards more after contact than Elliott as well.

Dallas continues to spin the notion that Pollard is a change of pace back while Elliott does the tough work. But the numbers and analytical minds (such as the good people at PFF) say that’s not true. Pollard is a legit No. 1 running back and deserves more time on the field.

Will there be a change?

So, will there actually be a change in who gets the majority of the rushes?

Unfortunately, the answer here is probably no. Even last season when Pollard was outperforming Elliott, he stayed on the bench. It was later reported that Elliott was going through a rough knee injury but the coaches still trotted him on the field over the younger, healthier, better player.

Why would they do this? The answer is sadly the same one we have to give when asked why no one takes the Cowboys seriously as contenders — Jerry Jones.

When he’s not playing doctor or speaking in confusing parables Jones is making sure everyone knows how important Elliott is. And while Jones will give you a lot of reasons for his love of No. 21, the real reason he wants him to turn back the clock to 2016 is the insane $18.22 million price tag the running back carries.

This contract was lauded before the ink dried and it was the main albatross that led the front office to give Amari Cooper away for a bag of chips this offseason. Jones is clearly a smart man. He has made billions of dollars and owns a yacht that’s slightly bigger than Rhode Island. But he’s also stubborn. He’s going to do all he can to prove Elliott was worth the comical extension signed in 2019 even if it means politely (or not) pushing the coaching staff to keep playing him over the better back.

Elliott not only won’t be able to prove this but there could be another negative effect as well if someone doesn’t stand up to Jones. With Pollard hitting free agency in the offseason, he might decide it’s best to go elsewhere, then someone will get a fresh running back that Dallas groomed and politely kept the tread on his tires so that he can blossom elsewhere.

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