Pollard over Schultz in 2023?

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Frisco, Texas – It’s time for the Dallas Cowboys to focus on what will be one of the biggest decisions their free agency makes for 2023. As the calendar turns to February 21, teams around the NFL officially have the opportunity to decide which player will receive the franchise or tag transfer for next season.

They won’t have much time to make the call, considering the deadline is March 7 (4pm ET), and needless to say, it’ll be interesting to see what the front office in Dallas decides. There’s nothing that forces a team to use either sign, but given who the Cowboys would risk losing on the open market by sitting on it, it’s safe to say they’d apply it to someone.

Dalton Schultz is a prime candidate for a franchise tag, considering he’s still missing a long-term deal after he and the Cowboys failed to reach an agreement last summer.

The problem is plain and obvious, though: Schultz will be operating under a second franchise label and, as such, will be subject to a raise of around $13 million (120% of 2022 payout) — it earned a fully guaranteed $10.9 million last year.

It’s not necessarily Schultz’ future salary that makes it hard to imagine that happening, but instead, the fact that Tony Pollard wrecked shop in what became a career-best season in every category is significant after being fired fully in tandem with Ezekiel Elliott.

If Pollard is tagged, his salary will be $800,000 ($10.1 million) less than Schultz earned last season, and not only will the Cowboys be allowed until July 14 to negotiate a long-term deal, but the Pro Bowl will also be back. It will not be allowed to receive call-ups from other teams – assuming it is a franchise exclusive.

The non-exclusive tag would still allow for negotiation with other clubs, but Pollard wouldn’t be able to leave without the Cowboys having the option to match the higher bid, and if they chose not to, get two first-round draft picks from the other team.

Then there’s the aforementioned move tag, which is similar to the non-exclusive tag in that a player can still negotiate with other teams and leave if the Cowboys don’t match the higher bid, but Dallas won’t get any compensation if that happens; Although the move tag is less expensive due to the increased risk of losing the player.

Only one tag can be used per team, per year, but it can also be revoked after it has been assigned if the organization deems it appropriate.

Are you still with me on this? Well, okay, because Schultz and Pollard aren’t the only players in this conversation, though they are the two favorites with Pollard as the one expected to land the mark.

There’s also Leighton Vander Esch, who has had a rejuvenating season reminiscent of his rookie campaign, who rejoins free agency after proving invaluable on a one-year deal signed last spring.

The problem here is the cost, because with the franchise’s scheduled $20.9 million mark for a linebacker ($17.5 million transfer mark), the likelihood of the Cowboys making the move is virtually zero.

Seriously, that doesn’t happen.

And what about Donovan Wilson, the breakout safety who helped lead the Cowboys defense as a kicker and ready-to-miss missile? Not to mention him in this conversation would be professional misconduct, considering what Wilson has evolved into since his days as a sixth-round pick in 2019; But there’s a premium to his position, too, folks.

Marking a safety in 2023 isn’t as eye-catching as it is for a linebacker, but it does come with a price tag of $14.5 million for next season ($11.9 million transfer mark).

A more practical play would be to throw weight in trying to strike a long-term deal with Wilson, Vander Esch and/or perhaps Schultz (although this would require a more detailed discussion) but first have to be pressured into buying yourself the time to sort things out with Pollard; This is probably what the Cowboys intend to do.