Tony Pollard landing spots: 3 teams that should pursue Cowboys RB in free agency

Tony Pollard got his first opportunity to be the starting running back for the Dallas Cowboys last year. He replaced Ezekiel Elliot, who was cut from the team last offseason. While Pollard exceeded 1,000 rushing yards during the 2023 NFL season, he never quite lived up to his massive expectations of a featured back.

Complicating Pollard's future in Dallas is that he played the entire year on the franchise tag. The Cowboys are reportedly not going to use their franchise tag on him again this year and a long-term contract currently seems to be an unlikely outcome.

This means that Pollard is likely to become a free agent during the 2024 NFL offseason. If that is how things play out, here are three teams that should target him to join their offensive schemes.

Tony Pollard landing spots in 2024 NFL free agency

Tony Pollard

#1 - Houston Texans

The Houston Texans were one of the most surprising teams last season. They went from being one of the worst teams in the NFL the season before, to advancing to the second round of the NFL Playoffs this year. They can now focus on adding impact players to their roster to potentially help them get to the next level.

The Texans' running backs were one of their worst position groups last season, and they could get even weaker with Devin Singletary's pending free agency. Tony Pollard could provide them with an upgrade either way, whether or not they keep Singletary or move on from him.

#2 - Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings lacked explosiveness in their backfield with Alexander Mattison being more of a power back. They attempted to improve that by adding Cam Akers, which failed, and he is a free agent this year anyway.

Pairing Tony Pollard with Mattison seems to make a ton of sense for the Vikings as their contrasting styles would likely complement each other well. Pollard was at his best in tandem with Ezekiel Elliot, who similar to Mattison, does his best work between the tackles.

#3 - Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans are expected to move on from Derrick Henry during the 2024 NFL offseason as he is a pending free agent and the franchise seems headed towards a rebuilding phase. They will still need to find a starting running back as the process plays out, and Tony Pollard makes sense.

Pollard grew up in Tennessee and had his college football career with the Memphis Tigers, so the Titans are his hometown team. He could be interested in playing for them, and with their void at running back, they make sense as a logical potential destination.