'Tantalizing' Tony Pollard: How High is Cowboys RB Ceiling?

Will Tony Pollard have a career-best showing this season for the Cowboys?

FRISCO - Running back Tony Pollard is an established talent who could deliver a career-best season in 2023. This season will be different for Pollard, who has shared reps with Ezekiel Elliott since 2019. 

Zeke is now a free agent and Pollard is coming off of a broken leg/high-ankle sprain suffered during Dallas' Divisional Round loss to the San Francisco 49ers in January. Pollard expects to be fully cleared for the start of training camp at the end of July.

"Tony's frankly champing at the bit to get out there physically," said coach Mike McCarthy.

Bleacher Report ranks Pollard within the top five players who will raise their ceilings in 2023, also hinting he could challenge for the No. 1 fantasy football running back spot.

After tantalizing Dallas Cowboys fans with his potential over the last few years, Tony Pollard is finally ready to take on his biggest role in the offense yet.

Already fantasy football's

No. 8 overall running back

in PPR scoring formats, the Memphis product could challenge for the No. 1 spot in 2023. Elliott's departure has left a major amount of volume up for grabs—the veteran led the team with 231 totes last year and was targeted 23 times in the passing game—with Pollard the clear-cut choice to assume the lion's share of that vacated workload. Malik Davis, Ronald Jones and rookie Deuce Vaughn are the only competition he will have for touches if the Cowboys don't add another back to the mix.

Last season, the Memphis native finished with 1,007 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground, and 371 yards and three touchdowns through the air. He led all rushing backs with 16.1 percent of his attempts going for 10 or more yards. Currently, Pollard has the seventh-best odds to rush for the most yards in the regular season. 

"TP is a great leader," said offensive lineman Tyler Smith, whose locker is right next to Pollard here inside The Star. "He leads through his actions, and his work ethic is insane ... Obviously he's one of the most explosive guys in the league but there is a work ethic that goes on behind that."

Add it all up, and Tony Pollard could “go beyond” his projected ceiling, too.

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