'Loyalty'?! Tony Pollard Projected to Leave Cowboys to Sign with NFC East Rival via Free Agency

'Loyalty'?! Tony Pollard Projected to Leave Dallas Cowboys to Sign with NFC East Rival Washington via Free Agency

FRISCO - It is not weird to think that as Tony Pollard heads into free agency that the Dallas Cowboys starting running back might end up with a division rival, like the Washington Commanders, as ESPN is projecting.

What's weird is that somebody thinks he should be conflicted about such a decision due to "loyalty.''

First to the projection: Pollard was a Pro Bowler a year ago while sharing the load with Ezekiel Elliott. But last season, as he transitioned into being the full-time back, his yards per carry dipped from 5.2 to 4.0, and he totaled only six touchdowns compared to 12 in the previous season.

This wasn't all Pollard's "fault,'' of course. But he was playing on a $10 million franchise tag salary, and the production didn't match the expenditure.

And for 2024? The Cowboys obviously like the player ... but just as obviously are not going to enter a bidding war for him, especially as this NFL free agency class is loaded with backs - as is Day 2 and Day 3 of the upcoming NFL Draft, which CowboysSI.com is told is central to Dallas' intentions.

Spotrac’s projection of Pollard's average annual salary going forward at $6.5 million might work for somebody, though ... somebody like the Commanders?

That's the thought of ESPN analyst Matt Bowen, who is projecting that the Commanders will end up poaching Pollard from the Dallas roster.

Do we see the logic there? The Commanders have cap space, but they also have Brian Robinson Jr., who seems to us like every-down-back-capable.

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But ESPN is suggesting a committee setup - essentially mirroring what Dallas once did with Zeke/Pollard ... as a way for Washington to get the best production out of Pollard.

If that happens? And Pollard gets his money? Good for him. But let's make one thing clear: One website is framing this sort of move as a display of a lack of loyalty, in a sense, writing, "A potential move to Washington would inevitably sour Pollard’s relationship with Cowboys fans, lacking the long-term loyalty that Ezekiel Elliott has garnered. Aligning himself with a divisional foe would only serve to exacerbate this divide.''

That's a lot a fancy-word nonsense. "Exacerbate the divide''? The Cowboys are likely to skip over the idea of "loyalty'' when it comes to keeping Pollard at the going rate. Why should the player care about "souring'' his relationships with anybody except the employer who wants to pay him?