5 Dallas Cowboys players who will be gone after 2023 season

1. Tony Pollard, RB

After years of sitting behind Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys will finally turn to Tony Pollard as their No. 1 running back. Pollard, who exceeded Elliott's skill level a couple of seasons ago, just had his first-ever 1,000-yard campaign as he was technically RB2 behind Elliott, but really got the bulk of the snaps.

The problem is, Dallas spent so much time using Elliott that they practically wasted their years with Pollard. By the time they wised up and made him the focus of their rushing attack, his contract expired. So now instead of using an explosive back on his rookie deal, they'll be crossing their fingers that he's healthy in year five after he suffered a broken fibula and high ankle sprain in the postseason.

They'll also be forking out $10 million since they had to use the franchise tag to keep him in town.

So thanks to the way they botched things in the backfield, they find themselves in a tough spot. Pollard — provided he's healthy — will once again put up elite numbers in 2023 and will be worth what he gets paid. But the problem then will come down to whether or not they want to extend him.

After being burnt when deciding to extend Elliott in 2019, they'll likely decide not to keep Pollard around on an expensive deal.

That means once again, Elliott will keep Pollard from doing all he can in Big D.

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