Tony Pollard showed off some great speed and recognition during the 2021 season. He had 130 attempts at running back with 719 total yards. That's a lot of stats for someone who is a second-stringer to Ezekiel Elliott. The real question is, will Pollard have better stats this season or worse?
We all know Tony's main position isn't running back but kick returner. We can first take a look and see if he has improved throughout his three seasons as a Cowboy.
- 2019: 14 Returns and 245 yards
- 2020: 32 Returns and 766 yards
- 2021: 17 Returns and 489 yards
With this information, it's obvious to see that Pollard gained far more yards in 2020 than in any of his other seasons. However, it's easy to ignore the fact that he had nearly two times more returns in 2020 than in 2021.
When looking at Pollard's average yards on a kick return, he had 28.8 yards per run in 2021 while in 2020 had 23.9 yards per carry. So, the answer would be yes, Tony Pollard has achieved great progress throughout his three years as a kick returner.
Now as a running back, it already looks like Pollard is on a path to success:
- 2019: 86 attempts and 455 yards
- 2020: 101 attempts and 435 yards
- 2021: 130 attempts and 719 yards
This amount of progress for one player is great, however, another running back stands in the way of him being the Cowboys' starter. That running back's name is Ezekiel Elliott. Elliott has had much success in Dallas but fans sometimes forget that he has been in the league for six years.
The Cowboys' game plan seems to be making a dual threat with the two running backs. While Elliott has the experience and strength, he is getting older and needs another runner to take his place after some snaps. That's where Tony Pollard comes in. He is the extra few snaps that the Cowboys are missing to put a powerful offense together.
In conclusion, Tony Pollard seems to have a great future ahead of him at the moment. With a running back who is growing older in front of him, he's looking to become a steady second stringer and a double-threat running back duo with Elliott.
I do believe that Pollard will for sure grow in his stats with more attempts and yards per run this year. In this upcoming season, It would be good to keep an eye on him for some explosive plays and more snaps.
