The Cowboys were able to head into their bye week with a big win over the Bears, and Tony Pollard was their biggest star during the contest.
Pollard made the fourth start of his career with the normal top back Ezekiel Elliott out due to a knee injury.
Thanks largely to Pollard, the Cowboys were able to total 200 yards on the ground in the team's 49-29 romp. He found the end zone often and had plenty of smooth runs on the day.
It's @Tp__5's world and we're just livin' in it 🤷♂️
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) October 30, 2022
📺: @NFLonFOX | #CHIvsDAL pic.twitter.com/p0BdbYT06c
Just how good was Tony Pollard against the Bears? Here's a breakdown of his career day and how it could impact him in this season and beyond.
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Tony Pollard stats vs. Bears in Week 8
Pollard had the best game of his career against the Bears in Week 8. Ezekiel Elliott wasn't able to play because of a knee injury, so Pollard was given a chance to shoulder the load.
Pollard didn't disappoint. He logged career-high marks in all major rushing categories and had just the second multi-touchdown game of his career.
| Stat | Total | Career rank |
| Carries | 14 | T-1st |
| Rushing yards | 131 | T-1st |
| Rush TDs | 3 | 1st |
| Yards per carry | 9.4 | 5th |
Pollard didn't do as much as a receiver, catching just one ball for 16 yards on one target. He didn't need to, however, as Prescott threw just 27 passes in the Cowboys' 49-point outing.
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Tony Pollard contract, salary
The Cowboys selected Pollard in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. That means he is in the final year of his rookie contract, which was a four-year deal worth roughly $3.19 million.
Pollard is making a base salary of just $965,000 in 2022. Below is a breakdown of his earnings and cap hit in each of the four years of his contract, per Spotrac.com.
| Year | Base salary | Signing bonus | Cap hit |
| 2019 | $495,000 | $166,945 | $661,945 |
| 2020 | $675,000 | $166,945 | $841,945 |
| 2021 | $850,000 | $166,945 | $1,016,945 |
| 2022 | $965,000 | $166,945 | $1,131,945 |
Certainly, Pollard's performance against Chicago will help him improve the potential value of his next contract. He will be a free agent in 2023, Spotrac.com currently has Pollard's market value assessed at $5.1 million per year. They believe his deal could be similar to the four-year, $24.5 million contract Austin Ekeler signed with the Chargers in 2020.
It may be hard for Dallas to keep Pollard regardless of his salary. The Cowboys still have Elliott under contract, and he will be entering year three of a six-year, $90 million extension he signed in 2019.
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Tony Pollard vs. Ezekiel Elliott
Of course, if it was only based on performance, the Cowboys might prefer to keep Pollard over Elliott.
While Elliott has long been a strong, stable runner for Dallas and was once one of the NFL's best running backs, he has regressed a bit in recent years. He doesn't have the same burst that he once had, so Pollard has been the more explosive playmaker.
The stats show that Pollard has been the more effective back in 2022. Below is a breakdown of each player's performance as we near the halfway point of the season.
| Stat | Tony Pollard | Ezekiel Elliott |
| Age | 25 | 27 |
| Carries | 81 | 109 |
| Rushing yards | 506 | 443 |
| Rush TDs | 5 | 4 |
| Yards per carry | 6.2 | 4.1 |
| Receptions | 12 | 6 |
| Receiving yards | 121 | 32 |
Elliott certainly hasn't been bad, but Pollard has been more efficient thanks to his speed and elusiveness. His 6.2 yards per carry mark ranks as the best among running backs with at least 50 carries this season.
As such, the Cowboys may look to get more usage out of Pollard even when Elliott returns to the lineup.
