Jerry Jones on Tony Pollard: 'We're counting on him playing'
Despite coming out of Saturday’s Christmas Eve win versus the Philadelphia Eagles relatively unscathed, the Dallas Cowboys had a concerning injury report on Monday following team walkthroughs. Leading running back Tony Pollard hit the injury list with a bruised thigh after a nine-carry, 19-yard rushing game.
It was his least productive game on the ground since early October, however, he also added six catches for 61 yards in the win.
Despite the thigh bruise, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones revealed on Tuesday that they expect the former fourth-round pick out of Memphis to be on the field in Nashville on Thursday night.
“He looks good for the game,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. “He really does… We’re counting on him playing.”
Cowboys expecting Pollard back in action in Week 17
Pollard, who earned the first Pro Bowl selection of his career last week, is just 12 yards shy of the first 1,000-yard rushing season of his four-year NFL career. It’s highly likely that he will surpass that mark this week if he plays in the Thursday Night Football game versus the Titans. Tennessee is on a five-game losing streak, which is the longest since the 2015 season.
On the year, Pollard has 12 touchdowns, with nine coming in the run game. It’s a contract year for the 2019 draft pick, but the running back insists free agency is not a focus at this point in the season.
“Right now, I’m not really too focused on that at the moment,” Pollard told reporters last week. “We have our eyes on something bigger.”
Despite the ever-looming presence of former first-rounder Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard has established himself as a key piece of the Dallas offense. Carrying the ball just 86 times for the team as a rookie, the 6-foot-0, 210-pound running back has more than doubled his workload over the last four years.
Although Elliott has more carries and rushing touchdowns through Week 16, Pollard has proven himself as the more versatile weapon this season. On top of leading the team in rushing yards, he is fifth in receiving yards with 371 on 39 receptions.
Dallas kicks off versus the Titans at 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday. Although still trailing the Eagles after their win, the Cowboys can clinch the division title if Philadelphia slips up with losses in their final two games of the year against the Saints and Giants.