Can Playing Tony Pollard More Extend Ezekiel Elliott Cowboys Career?

Ezekiel Elliott played through a PCL injury and did not perform like his usual self during the 2021 season. Tony Pollard seized his opportunity with increased playing time and helped the Cowboys end the season as the ninth-best rushing team in the NFL.

Dallas Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott struggled in 2021. Elliott posted career-lows in several categories, including yards per game and yards per carry. Elliott played in all 18 games for the Cowboys, but as CowboysSI.com reported in October, he played through a torn PCL injury. 

The injury hurt the impact he’s known for. Per Pro Football Focus, before the injury, Elliott averaged 16 carries per game, for nearly 86 yards per game. After Week 4, those numbers significantly decreased to 13 carries per game and 49.4 yards per game.

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Despite the lowly numbers from Elliott, the Cowboys were a top-10 rushing team in the NFL, in large part due to the success of third-year running back Tony Pollard. Pollard posted career-highs in several categories, including usage, yards per game (48), and yards per carry (5.5), while proving to be the more effective running back for the top offense in the NFL.

Ultimately, playing the younger and more explosive running back could help the Cowboys in one major area: Extending Elliott's career as a Cowboy.

In other words, for Zeke, less is better.

Pollard was only on the field 35 percent of the time, but boosted the Dak Prescott-led offense as he averaged 5.4 yards per carry on first down and 6.2 yards per carry on second down, with an 84.8-percent catch rate. 

Elliott was slowed down by the PCL which hindered the success of the Cowboys. Dallas was 8-1 when Zeke rushed for more 50 or more yards. Playing Pollard more isn't the exile of Elliott, however, it means a balanced workload could be more beneficial for Dallas moving forward. As a tandem, Elliott and Pollard had four games where they combined for 150 or more rushing yards. 

Want a better Zeke? That might mean a bit less of Zeke - and an increased 2022 role for Pollard.