Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys runningback, remains crucial to the Dallas Cowboys’ offense. However, not many believe it is time for Tony Pollard to take over as RB1. It is unclear whether that will be the case during the 2022 NFL season, but it does not appear Elliott’s relationship to Pollard has been affected by these insinuations.
Killin’ Moore has recently pointed out that Ezekiel Elliott even brings up Tony Pollard’s name when discussing the Cowboys run game. It doesn’t seem like they aren’t on the same level.
When asked about the run-game, Zeke doesn’t mention Pollard as a backup. Unprompted, he brings up Tony when asked about his run game. He is part of a tandem and doesn’t have any ego.
Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys’ running back, still held the majority of snap count on offense in the 2021 NFL seasons. He was present in 65.88% offensive snaps. Pollard came in second at 30.46%. In 2021, the gap between Elliott in this area and Pollard was slightly smaller than that between them in 2020, when Pollard had a 68% snap count share to Elliott’s 31.65%.
A number of stats support the idea that the Cowboys should now hand over the keys to their ground attack to Pollard. Football Insiders shows that Pollard ranks fourth in rushing DVOA (fourth), compared to Ezekiel Elliott’s (23rd).
Before opening their season against the Jacksonville Jaguars at their home on Sep. 11, the Cowboys may have to make a difficult decision about their running back orders.