“I don’t know whether to cheer or cry” - Skip Bayless attempts to swallow Cowboys’ move to franchise tag Tony Pollard
Cowboys running back Tony Pollard was hit with the franchise tag as the deadline came into focus this week. While many are focused on what the Ravens will do with Lamar Jackson and the franchise tag, the pen was put to paper with the running back. The move signals another year with Ezekiel Elliott and Pollard sharing the backfield for the franchise.
Skip Bayless, one of the most famous Cowboys fans in America, attempted to make sense of the move on Undisputed. Here's how he put it:
Will Tony Pollard reach 1000 yards in 2023?
"I don't know whether to cheer or to cry about this move because I love me some Tony Pollard... I was even making the case going into the San Francisco playoff game, Dallas at San Francisco that I would take Tony Pollard over Christian McCaffrey just because he's a touch faster than Christian."
Cowboys use franchise tag on RB Tony Pollard
@RealSkipBayless reacts: https://t.co/KinodTweID
He continued, expressing doubts about the surgery that tried to fix the late injury to the running back:
"Tua had that surgery when he was at Alabama and Ryan Tannehill had it here lately. And yet to your point, those are quarterbacks who don't really depend on their legs here and there. They do, but not like Tony Pollard does because his legs are everything... I don't know if he's ever going to be right."
Tony Pollard's battle with Ezekiel Elliott for domination of Cowboys backfield continues into 2023
Unless the Cowboys find a way to move on from Ezekiel Elliott this offseason, Pollard will once again be locked in a battle for touches with the veteran. Since he was picked in 2019, he's been locked in a battle of attrition with the running back. Over the years, fans slowly came off Elliott's hype train and got behind the backup running back.
However, Elliott continued to earn more touches. That said, 2022 seems to be a turning point in the battle. Pollard crossed for 1000 yards in 193 attempts while Elliot fell under 1000 yards for the first time since 2020 and finished with the fewest yards of his career in 231 attempts. As it stands, many believe the cat is out of the bag and the two backs' roles could be reversed in 2023.
Will the long-awaited switch take place this fall?