20 NFL bold predictions after the 2022 NFL Draft

11. Tony Pollard out-rushes Ezekiel Elliott

Before Mike McCarthy took over as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, his team did something he’s still paying for — they overpaid a running back.

While it’s always questionable to give a running back a second contract, it can be done as long as the team makes sure to protect themselves. This was the case with the Tennessee Titans extension with Derrick Henry as well as the Cleveland Browns contract with Nick Chubb.

In each of those instances, the guaranteed money came in the first couple of seasons making them a high-dollar deal with an out early on. As for the contract Dallas gave to Ezekiel Elliott, he’s entering the fourth season after signing the mega-contract that covered five additional seasons on top of his remaining deal, and there’s still a boatload of cash due.

That contract is a huge reason they had to trade Amari Cooper to Cleveland and if that wasn’t bad enough, Zeke is also not even the best back on the team. That honor belongs to Tony Pollard who had 719 yards and two touchdowns in 2021 while averaging 5.5 yards per attempt.

Of course, the Cowboys try and sell the idea that Pollard is the explosive back whereas Elliott picks up the tough yards and breaks tackles, but this is also untrue. In fact, PFF showed us that since 2019, Pollard is in the top four in the league in forcing missed tackles.

https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1374700023292760067?s=20&t=4CFgK3WaJwUIjQQkdXKDkw

The truth is, this team continues to trot out Zeke because of his contract. But if McCarthy and his coaching staff want to take their offense to the next level, they need to let the best players get the ball.

In a critical season for them, look for the staff to do the right thing and feed Pollard in 2022 — leading to him getting far more yards than Elliott.