The Dallas Cowboys offense was derailed during the postseason when running back Tony Pollard suffered a gruesome lower leg injury in the Divisional Round matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. He was a spark plug for the team all season, having a career year as he overtook Ezekiel Elliott in the pecking order.
Against the 49ers, Tony Pollard suffered a high ankle sprain and fractured fibula. There were some concerns the injury could impact his career as he underwent a TightRope procedure instead of surgery.
Whatever the doctors did procedurally and with rehab must have worked, because there are no concerns about Tony Pollard returning to the field anymore. In fact, he will be a full-go at training camp at the end of July. He has been participating in the team’s OTAs and revealed earlier this week that he feels great.
“I would say I’m not really limited at this point,” Pollard said Thursday, adding that he was ahead of schedule. “It’s just being smart with it, just trying to work my way back in slowly and make sure I’m in tip-top shape when I get out there so it’s not a fall off.”
The Cowboys’ mandatory OTAs begin next week and Tony Pollard is expected to remain on the same plan he was on during the voluntary ones. He was taking first-team reps throughout the walkthrough portions.
Plenty of veterans skip the voluntary workouts, especially players in Tony Pollard’s position. He had the franchise tag placed on him this offseason, giving him and the Cowboys until mid-July to get a long-term deal done. Without one in place, we have seen plenty of other players skip workouts.
But, Tony Pollard is there, which is certainly encouraging for the team. Not only is he all the way bought in, but it is great seeing him on the field and seemingly healthy after suffering such a scary injury less than six months ago.
“Honestly, I feel faster,” he said. “I mean we got great trainers. Working with [director of rehabilitation Britt Brown] on the bands I don’t know for how many months we’ve been going since the season was over, I just feel like I got a lot of juice in me left.”
Tony Pollard is set to be a huge part of the team’s offense in 2023. Elliott is no longer on the roster, meaning this is his backfield. He should see an increase in touches as well as Ronald Jones, Malik Davis and 2023 sixth-round pick Deuce Vaughn are his backups.
Last season, Tony Pollard set career highs across the board with 193 carries for 1,007 yards and nine touchdowns, adding 39 receptions for 371 yards and three more scores. He has proven to be an excellent dual-threat weapon out of the backfield and has a chance to put himself in position for a huge payday in 2024.