3 important takeaways from Cowboys backfield usage in season opener

3. Tony Pollard will carry most of the running back duties 

For the first time in his career, Tony Pollard entered the season as the RB1 for the Cowboys. After sitting behind Elliott for four years, the 26-year-old running back finally got the backfield to himself. 

And in his first action, he was heavily involved in the game plan. He played 64% of Dallas’ snaps on Sunday -- even in a blowout win. Pollard also had 16 touches for 82 yards and two touchdowns in the game. 

For so many years, Elliott was the team’s obvious goal-line back. While some didn’t know if Pollard would be that guy this season, we got our first taste of that in the opener. 

Pollard had a two-yard touchdown and a one-yard score in the second and third quarters, proving that McCarthy will likely roll with the speedy back in the red zone. He didn’t see many opportunities in that role last season. But with Elliott’s departure, that seems to change a bit in 2023.  

It’ll be interesting to see how much of a workload Pollard can carry. 2022 was the first year of his career that he had over 200 touches in a season. Before that, his career-high was just 169 touches, which includes his college days. 

For now, though, Pollard will carry most of the running back duties heading into a Week 2 matchup against the New York Jets.