Franchise Tag vs. Franchise RB: Should Cowboys Trade For Jonathan Taylor?

With starting running back Tony Pollard playing on a one-year franchise tag, the Dallas Cowboys should explore a long-term solution in a trade for Jonathan Taylor.

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys cut Ezekiel Elliott because Tony Pollard was younger and better. But what if Jerry Jones could acquire a running back that is both younger and better than Pollard?

Making a blockbuster trade for disgruntled Indianapolis Colts' star Jonathan Taylor might not seem savvy on the surface, what with Pollard playing on a $10 million franchise tag to be the team's No. 1 back. But there are myriad reasons why the Cowboys should seriously consider the bold move.

CBS Sports, in fact, says the Cowboys are one of the most logical landing spots for the 2021 NFL rushing champion.

"Dallas has the second-most salary cap space in the league with $21.5 million," CBS writes. "After parting ways with Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys are left with a void at the position. Tony Pollard has been an efficient weapon for the NFC contender, but Taylor would give them a dynamic weapon that owner Jerry Jones so often covets."

ESPN analyst Marcus Spears agrees that the Cowboys should be calling the Colts ... STAT!

"Tony Pollard's coming of an injury," Spears said Tuesday morning. "Jonathan Taylor is he piece that Dallas needs ... for Philly. You know how Dak Prescott throws fewer interceptions this season? He turns around and hands the football off to a back ... a prolific back."

Granted, the Cowboys need to manage their cap for the upcoming big contracts surely to be awarded to receiver CeeDee Lamb and defensive superstar Micah Parsons. But acquiring Taylor would not only generate the league-wide buzz Jerry so craves, it would also - instantly - raise their Super Bowl chances this season while also setting them up to be better in the future.

NFL experts such as Jim Nantz and Rob Gronkowski are already predicting the Cowboys to make Super Bowl LVIII, and Jones himself keeps reminding everyone that his team is narrowing the gap on the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Pollard is 26; Taylor just 24. And in an NFL era where running backs are disposable, the trend is to draft one, play him, franchise tag him for one season, and then draft another one. (To be fair, the same climate doesn't lend itself to trading away assets to acquire a running back, and then having to extend his contract.) Pollard made the Pro Bowl last season with his speed and toughness and hands as a receiver, but it's difficult to envision a scenario where the Cowboys tag him again in 2024 and effectively pay him $22 million over two years.

A hurdle: Taylor wants a new deal. He surely wants in excess of $10 million APY, which means to keep him happy, Dallas would have two backs each making that amount. That's ... awkward. But the team would be better.

And in 2024? If not Pollard next season, then who? Sure, coach Mike McCarthy is saying all the right things about backups Rico Dowdle and Malik Davis, and 5-foot-5 Deuce Vaughn has blossomed into one of the darlings of the NFL preseason.

“These young running backs really pour it up in there, and we just ... would like to get them some more opportunities," McCarthy said. "This young group has a chance to be pretty damn good.”

Those three also, however, have a combined 45 carries in the NFL. Without Zeke as a veteran insurance policy, would the Cowboys really be comfortable making a Super Bowl push handing the ball 20 times a game to Dowdle?

Taylor would provide a luxury this season, and a permanent answer in 2024.

Two years ago he was an All-Pro, leading the league with 1,811 yards and 18 touchdowns. Even in an injury-riddled 2022 he managed a healthy 4.5 yards per rush. Even better, he's still on his rookie contract and making only $4.3 million this season (13th-highest among running backs). In three seasons with the Colts, he has rushed for 3,841 yards and 33 touchdowns while also catching 802 passes for another three scores.

The Colts are seeking a first-round pick (or a combination of picks equal to) for Taylor. The Cowboys have the ammunition, in the form of their first-, second-, third- and fourth-round picks in next April's NFL Draft. ... but could in theory "win'' the trade by offering a package that doesn't even include the first-rounder.

In an NFL which asks running backs not only "what have you done for me lately?" but also "what can you do for me in the future?", a Cowboys' trade for Taylor makes more sense than it doesn't.

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