5 most important Cowboys for the 2023 season, including a surprise player
By Ali Jawad
2. Tony Pollard
After seven seasons full of memories and big play moments, the Cowboys elected to say goodbye to Ezekiel Elliott. However, the replacement option is already there in Pro Bowl running back Tony Pollard.
Originally drafted to be a complement to Elliott, Pollard began to immerse himself as the better option going back to the 2021 season. This past season Pollard rushed for 1007 yards and nine touchdowns, and caught 39 passes for 371 yards and three touchdowns.
The highlight was the divisional round matchup against San Francisco in which Pollard went down with an ankle injury. The loss of Pollard negatively impacted the Cowboys' offense and proved his value to the team.
We are now headed into 2023. The fifth-year back is on the franchise tag and will lead the Cowboys' backfield. Mike McCarthy made it clear how much he wants to run the ball. “I want to the run the damn ball,” McCarthy told reporters back in March.
Ultimately this is why I have Pollard as number two on this list. We can expect the Cowboys to rely on the ground game heavily, and Pollard can be the guy on this offense to take the pressure off quarterback Dak Prescott.