Cowboys' Tony Pollard: Expected to play on franchise tag

Pollard (ankle) and the Cowboys are not expected to agree to terms on a long-term contract by Monday's 4:00 p.m. ET deadline, Jane Slater of NFL Network reports.

Pollard signed his $10.1 million franchise tag back in March, and Slater reports that he and Dallas haven't since engaged in extensive talks on a long-term deal. The 26-year-old is reportedly ahead of schedule in his recovery from ankle surgery and on track for training camp, after having suffered a high-ankle sprain and broken fibula in his left leg back in January. Following Ezekiel Elliott's offseason release, Pollard stands alone atop the Cowboys' RB depth chart and appears primed to build upon his 1,378 yards from scrimmage from 2022 with a career-high workload during the 2023 campaign, after which he will be slated to hit free agency. Malik Davis, Ronald Jones, Deuce Vaughn, Rico Dowdle and Hunter Luepke are behind him in the backfield.