3 years agoMake no mistake about it, Tony Pollard is Ezekiel Elliott's backup. That's been clear the past three seasons. The Cowboys continue to be hamstrung by Zeke's six-year, $90M contract extension signed back in 2019 and are essentially forced to give him most of the touches. However, 2021 was a little different than 2019 and 2020. Pollard averaged 11.8 total opportunities (rush attempts + targets) last season compared to just seven in 2019 and 8.8 in 2020. Believe it or not, he became even more efficient with the increased workload, averaging 5.5 yards per carry (YPC) and 7.3 yards per target (YPT) compared to 4.8 YPC and 5.0 YPT the previous two seasons combined. Pollard's increase in opportunities and production has come at the cost of Elliott's workload. Last season, Zeke averaged a career-low of 13.9 rush attempts. On those 13.9 rush attempts, he averaged just 4.2 YPC. He also averaged a career-low 4.4 YPT on 3.8 targets per game. Now add in the fact that Zeke averaged just 0.64 yards per route run (YPRR) last season, which was third-worst among 58 running backs with at least 25 targets. Meanwhile, Pollard averaged 1.9 YPRR, ranking third amongst all running backs. While one of the reasons Elliott remains on the field is his underlying contract, the other reason is his ability in pass protection. However, last season, he received a pass-block grade of just 40.2 compared to a pass block grade of 50.3 for Pollard (per PFF). Pollard finished the 2021 season as the RB34 on a per-game basis, and that was with scoring just two touchdowns. He should be considered an RB3 with upside as an RB1 if Elliott is forced to miss any time in 2022.--Adam Koffler - RotoBaller