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USATSI

These days, running backs aren't typically the most sought-after players in free agency. The league has for the most part gotten wise to the fungibility of the position, and the best of the best typically get their long-term deals before they have a chance to hit the open market. That could change this offseason, though. 

There are several top-flight backs potentially reaching free agency in a couple weeks. One of those top-flight backs is Tony Pollard, who is coming off the best season of his NFL career. Pollard is one of the league's most explosive players regardless of position, a home-run threat every time he touches the ball. Why in the world it took his own team so long to realize it is anybody's guess (hint: it's ownership), but interested observers have known about Pollard's elite skill for a while. 

Pollard had never played more than 35% of the Cowboys' snaps before this season, when he finally reached the 53% mark. All he did with that opportunity was rush 193 times for 1,007 yards and nine touchdowns, marking the third time in four seasons he topped 5.2 yards per carry. (The only one where he didn't was the season where Dak Prescott, Tyron Smith, La'el Collins, and Zack Martin all got injured.) Pollard also added 39 catches for 371 yards and three additional scores, proving his mettle as a pass-catching threat. All that was good enough to earn him his first career Pro Bowl nod, and in the playoffs it looked like he was finally getting ready to fully take the reins from Ezekiel Elliott ... before he broke his leg during the Cowboys' loss to the 49ers.

Now, Pollard is set to hit free agency coming off a major injury. He's still just 25 years old, though, and he has less wear and tear on him than a typically player of his skill level (due to the Cowboys' gross under-utilization of him through his first four years in the league). So, the market for him could be fairly robust. Which are the most likely (or most interesting) landing spots? Let's take a look.  

1. Dallas Cowboys

Honestly, the list does not need to be much longer than this. The Cowboys have been pretty openly telegraphing that they are going to utilize the franchise tag this offseason, and Pollard is easily the most likely candidate to receive it. Unless Pollard agrees to a long-term deal in the next few days, he seems likely to be ticketed for the tag. 

2. Denver Broncos

If Pollard does hit free agency, I would expect that Sean Payton's new team would be very interested in his services. Pollard shares a lot of similarities with New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara, to whom the Cowboys repeatedly compared Pollard as early as the offseason before his rookie year. Signing Pollard off his broken leg and having him work alongside Javonte Williams, who is coming off a torn ACL, would be a little bit risky; but it would also allow the Broncos to manage the workloads of both players.  

3. Miami Dolphins

Miami's offense is built on one thing: Speed, and using it to create explosive plays. Pollard fits that ethos to a tee, as we saw throughout his time in Dallas. We also saw last offseason that the Dolphins are unafraid to devote money to the running back position, which they did by signing both Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert. Edmonds washed out fairly quickly and Mostert is getting up there in years, so the Dolphins also brought in Jeff Wilson Jr. midway through last year. Perhaps they'll be motivated to dip into the free agent market for a back once again, though. If they are, Pollard makes a lot of sense. 

4. Los Angeles Chargers

Former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is now in the same role with the Chargers. L.A. already has a star running back in Austin Ekeler, but he's been very open about not wanting to have too much of the workload on his plate. Bringing in Pollard would help keep both guys fresh, and also keep a high-level backfield receiving threat on the field for Justin Herbert at all times. 

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Speaking of former Cowboys coaches, ex-running backs coach Skip Peete now holds the same position in Tampa. The Bucs are cutting ties with Leonard Fournette, and while Rachaad White looks explosive, his production during his rookie season left a lot to be desired. The issue for the Bucs is they don't currently have a quarterback -- or a whole lot of cap maneuverability. It would be pretty difficult to make things work to bring Pollard in, but NFL teams do difficult things to land free agent targets pretty much every offseason. 

6. Los Angeles Rams

L.A. has moved away from the zone-exclusive running scheme it used toward the beginning of Sean McVay's tenure as head coach, but those principles are still utilized in a lot of the offense, and Pollard makes for a great fit with them. The Rams' running game struggled for much of last season as the offensive line fell apart and neither Cam Akers nor Pollard's former Memphis teammate, Darrell Henderson, could get anything going. Perhaps they could go back to the Tigers well and bring Pollard in to juice the run game.