Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard has been pitched as a potential target for the Cleveland Browns as the team looks to bolster their backfield this offseason.
Pollard is set to be a free agent this offseason after being franchise-tagged by the Cowboys a year ago. Pollard has reeled off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and has nearly 100 catches in that span.
He’d be useful for a Browns team looking to add talent to their backfield and facing some uncertainty. The Rico Report recently played matchmaker with the upcoming running back free agent class. Pollard was pegged as a fit for the Browns.
“What about the Browns? Could the Cleveland Browns be asking for the services of Tony Pollard?” Rico said in a video hosted by Bleacher Report. “Pair [Pollard] with Stefanski, Deshaun Watson, Coop (Amari Cooper). You have a dual threat. I think this could work. You get Pollard over there. He might have to talk about what compensation he’s looking for. Tony Pollard at $6.5 million, is nothing outrageous. I’m sure they could work something out. This could be a potential marriage.”
Pollard’s estimated market value is around $6.5 million per year, per Spotrac.
Tony Pollard Had Busy Year With Cowboys
Pollard has spent his entire five-year career with the Cowboys. Dallas parted ways with former Pro Bowler Ezekiel Elliott last offseason, giving Pollard the lion’s share of the work. He set career-high in snaps (836), receptions (55) and broken tackles (19) but only averaged 4.0 yards per carry.
The Cowboys may try to bring Pollard back but have been mostly non-committal about his future.
“Tony had a great year last year,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said. “He’s another one of those guys, he’s the type of player you want around but all that’s going to boil down to the business side of things in terms of what we can do with Tony. So nothing but respect for him. Not only is he a great player, he’s a great man off the field. Like I said, the type of player you’d want in your organization, but we’ll just have to see where the business falls.”
Pollard is also open to a return to the Cowboys, per The Dallas Morning News. However, he’s going to see what’s available in free agency before speaking with Dallas.
Browns Unsure When Nick Chubb Will Return to Field
Pollard would be a tremendous fit alongside Nick Chubb. However, the Browns are unsure when Chubb will be ready to go next season.
Chubb suffered a catastrophic knee injury in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had both his ACL and MCL repaired during two separate surgeries, the latest of those procedures coming in November.
Chubb will count $15.8 million against the cap next season. He has no guaranteed money left on his deal. If the Browns released Chubb it would result in just $4 million of dead cap. The Browns’ goal is to keep Chubb around on a re-negotiated deal that will lower his cap hit and likely be laced with incentives.
Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong Jr. are the other options the Browns have available. They’ll have to hold down the fort if Chubb misses the start of the year. Kareem Hunt was signed shortly after Chubb’s injury but it’s unlikely the Browns bring him back next season.
