Cowboys 'Near Decision' on Ezekiel Elliott Cut, Tony Pollard Tag?

The Dallas Cowboys want to re-sign Ezekiel Elliott. And Tony Pollard, too. In fact, Jerry and Stephen Jones are "adamant'' about it. But there's a "but'' ...

FRISCO - The business of the NFL cranks up officially on March 7. And on the to-do list here inside The Star? Running back Ezekiel Elliott wants to remain with the Dallas Cowboys. Surely Tony Pollard feels the same way.

And Jerry and Stephen Jones, speaking this week at the Senior Bowl, say they “absolutely” want to retain the pair.

But ...

“You always want Zeke,” Stephen said. "But do the numbers work?''

As those numbers sit right now? No. They do not work. Maybe that’s why we’re starting to see the breathless reports oozing out that suggest the Cowboys are “nearing decisions” on the pair.

Report: The #Cowboys are expected to place the franchise tag on free-agent RB Tony Pollard, per @PFN365

Pollard had almost 1,500 yards of total offense in 2022 and scored 12 TDs. He was most explosive weapon on the Dallas offense. https://t.co/LlYlVlygnu

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 7, 2023

But what do Cowboys officials tell CowboysSI.com about some sort of advancement in thoughts and plans?

“No change,” said one, with a chuckle.

Truth: The Cowboys are no more “leaning toward” or “expected to” any more today than they’ve been all off-season.

All breathlessness aside.

Elliott, who will turn 28 this summer, is due to make a $10.9 million base salary in 2023 with a $16.72 million cap number. The Cowboys can "start over'' with Zeke by cutting him thus creating $10.9 million in cap space but $4.9 million in dead money, netting a $6 million benefit. ... at which time they could circle back and re-sign him to a new deal.

At some point in the media visit, Stephen suggested that Elliott is not in decline as a player, adding, "You can’t define what Zeke does for our football team.”

The intangibles are undeniable. But so is the decline. Elliott (with a March decision due on a re-do or a goodbye) had career-lows in virtually every category, giving way to Pollard, who became a Pro Bowler ...

And who is now set for free agency.

"We have to make sure how we pay attention to this and how we spread it out — and how we divide up the pie,'' Stephen said. "We have to re-look at that. We have to look at Zeke and ... Tony is looking to make more money. So, we have to relook at the whole thing in terms of turning back and what that looks like.”

Pollard (a career-high 1,007 rushing yards and scored 12 touchdowns) has a franchise tag number of $10.09 million. The tag (with a March 7 decision date attached) is the way to retain him, but it's also a way of, in theory, overpaying for the position of running back.

Meaning, in summary, the Cowboys have two running backs worth keeping ... with the duel problems being trying to figure out how much they're worth.

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