Trending: Tony Pollard never went away, despite the Dallas Cowboys star’s criticism of the team for mistreating him during the 2023 season. He was mistreated as a result of being overused.

Trending: Tony Pollard never went away, despite the Dallas Cowboys star’s criticism of the team for mistreating him during the 2023 season. He was mistreated as a result of being overused.

The Dallas Cowboys did not start the 2017 season with running back Ezekiel Elliott as the team’s primary rusher for the first time since 2016. Instead, after four consecutive seasons of incredibly productive rushing totals, Dallas went to veteran backup Tony Pollard to relieve Elliott.

Take a stab at underestimating Ezekiel Elliott’s season-long rush of yards.
Regretfully, both the Cowboys and Pollard had setbacks as the Memphis product performed poorly in his new position, averaging a career-low 4.0 yards per run during 17 starts. With his offseason signing with the Tennessee Titans, Pollard’s bad luck came to a stop. Wide receiver Dez Bryant, a former star of the Dallas Cowboys, feels the Cowboys let Pollard down last season, alleging abuse and overuse.

During his first season as the Dallas Cowboys’ undisputed starting running back last season, Tony Pollard recorded the lowest efficiency figures of his five-year NFL career. Despite taking up the most work of his career, Pollard’s yards per reception and carry were at career lows. The bad year, in the opinion of former Cowboys Pro Bowl wide receiver Dez Bryant, was caused by the way the team handled Pollard during his first season as a starter.