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Tony Pollard replaced Ezekiel Elliott as the starting running back for the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8 against the Chicago Bears. Elliott suffered a knee injury in Week 7, making him unavailable for Week 8. However, he's expected to be ready to return in Week 10 following the Cowboys' bye week.
Pollard put up an extremely impressive performance against the Bears. This has resulted in many around the NFL debating whether he should permanently replace Elliott as the starting running back for the rest of the season.
Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett shared his thoughts on the situation during Football Night in America for NFL on NBC's broadcast of Sunday Night Football for Week 8:
"I think they use both of them still. And Tony Pollard is a guy who's a very good space player, but he's shown that he can run inside as well. Zeke's a guy who can just hammer a defense, and not a lot of people think that's real sexy. But what happens is defenses say, 'Hey, we still got to stop number 21, we're going to load up the box with individual coverage outside.' It benefits everybody else. It also keeps Pollard fresh as the season goes on."
Jason Garrett seems to think the Cowboys will continue to use both Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard as important pieces of their offense. The Cowboys have given Elliott significantly more playing time than Pollard so far this year. Pollard's massive Week 8 performance might earn him additional touches moving forward. It's possible the workload split is closer for the rest of the 2022-23 NFL season.
Tony Pollard has been more effective than Ezekiel Elliott in 2022
Ezekiel Elliott has served as the starting running back for the Dallas Cowboys during the 2022-23 NFL season so far. Meanwhile, Tony Pollard has outperformed him in almost every statistical category. Elliott received more touches, but Pollard has done much more with his opportunities.
Elliott has carried the ball 28 more times than Pollard this year thus far. Pollard still gained 63 more rushing yards than Elliott while gaining an additional two more yards per carry. Pollard also has 89 more receiving yards than Elliott and an extra touchdown.
The most glaring difference between Pollard and Elliott is their ability to create big plays. Pollard has recorded an impressive 16 plays of 20 or more yards, while Elliott has recorded just three. This is especially notable considering how many more attempts Elliott has than Pollard. If Tony Pollard were to have his workload increased, his numbers would potentially increase as well.
The statistics make it absolutely clear that Pollard is a more effective running back at this point in both of their careers. However, there has been no indication from the Cowboys that they are going to reduce Ezekiel Elliott's snaps moving forward. They likely favor his bruising style and elite pass protection abilities for quarterback Dak Prescott.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Football Night in America and H/T Sportskeeda.
