Cowboys' Tony Pollard: Long-term deal deadline passes

Pollard (ankle) and the Cowboys did not agree on long-term contract prior to Monday's 4:00 p.m. ET deadline for franchise-tagged players, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Pollard is thus locked in to play out the upcoming season on the one-year, $10.1 million deal he signed in the form of the franchise tag back in March. By all accounts, Pollard is ahead of schedule in his recovery from surgery to address a high-ankle sprain and broken fibula in his left leg and is expected to be ready for training camp. The 26-year-old is poised to lead Dallas' backfield as the team's clear No. 1 option when back to full health, especially with Ezekiel Elliott having been released earlier this offseason. Pollard was able to compile 1,378 yards from scrimmage and 12 total touchdowns in 16 games last season, while averaging 5.2 YPC, and he looks primed for a career-high workload during the 2023 campaign.