Cowboys place franchise tag on Tony Pollard

The Dallas Cowboys placed the franchise tag on running back Tony Pollard, the team announced Monday.

Dallas wants to sign Pollard to a long-term contract and met with his agent at the NFL combine, reports Todd Archer of ESPN.

The running back tag is just over $10 million, which will immediately count against the Cowboys' cap.

Pollard had the best season of his career in 2022, racking up 1,378 yards and 12 touchdowns on 232 touches. He led the Cowboys in rushing yards with 1,007.

"Tony is certainly a big part of our plans," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Friday at the scouting combine, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic.

The Cowboys are expected to either rework running back Ezekiel Elliott's contract or release him. The former first-team All-Pro is scheduled to have a $16.7-million cap hit in 2023.

Pollard, 25, was a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He has 3,624 total yards in 62 career regular-season games.