Tony Randall Pollard (born April 30, 1997) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Memphis Tigers The Memphis Tigers are the athletic teams that represent the University of Memphis, located in Memphis, Tennessee. The teams compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the American Athletic C ...

, and was selected by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

in the fourth round of the

2019 NFL draft The 2019 NFL draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville. The first round was held ...

Early life

Pollard attended Melrose High School in Memphis, Tennessee, where he played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

. As a senior, he was a two-way starter at

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

and

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

on the high school football team. He helped the team reach the playoffs, while amassing over 1,200 receiving yards, 20

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s and being named All-District 16-AAA.

College career

2016 season

Pollard accepted a football scholarship from the

University of Memphis The University of Memphis (Memphis) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 20,000 students. The university maintains the Herff Col ...

. As a

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...

freshman, he appeared in 13 games, of which he started seven. He registered 29 receptions for 298 yards (10.3-yard avg.), 31 carries for 159 yards (5.1-yard avg.) and three touchdowns. He finished among the national leaders in kickoff return average (28.1 yards). He had two returns for a touchdown and was named the

American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (AAC), also known as The American, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States, featuring 13 full member universities and 6 affiliate member universities that compete in t ...

's Special Teams Player of the Year.

2017 season

As a sophomore, he posted 36 receptions for 536 yards (14.9-yard avg.), 30 carries for 230 yards (7.7-yard avg.) and six touchdowns. He led the nation with a school-record 40-yard average per kickoff return (22 for 881 yards) and four returns for touchdowns. He repeated as the AAC's Special Teams Player of the Year.

2018 season

As a junior, even though he shared the backfield with

Darrell Henderson Darrell Henderson Jr. (born August 19, 1997) is an American professional football running back. He played college football for the Memphis Tigers, and was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft. Early life Hen ...

, he totaled 78 carries for 552 yards (7.1-yard avg.), 39 receptions for 458 yards (11.7-yard avg.), ten touchdowns with one kickoff return for a touchdown. In the

2018 Birmingham Bowl The 2018 Birmingham Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 22, 2018. It was the 13th edition of the Birmingham Bowl, and one of the 2018–19 bowl games concluding the 2018 FBS football season. Sponsored by the Jared brand of ...

against Wake Forest, he recorded 318 all-purpose yards (209 on kickoff returns) and one rushing touchdown. Pollard was considered one of the best kickoff return specialists in college football, tying a FBS record with seven career kick-return touchdowns, 87 kickoff returns (second in school history), 2,616 kickoff return yards (second in school history), 30.1 kick-return average (school record) and 4,680 all-purpose yards (second in school history). On January 11, 2019, Pollard declared for the

. Just six days later, on January 17, 2019, Pollard was added to the 2019 North

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

roster.

College statistics

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

2019 season

Pollard was selected by the

in the fourth round (128th overall) in the 2019 NFL draft. Pollard had 13 carries for 24 yards in his NFL debut in Week 1 against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

in the 35–17 victory. During Week 3 against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

, Pollard posted his first career 100+-yard game as he finished with 103 rushing yards on 13 carries and a touchdown as the Cowboys won 31–6. During Week 15 against the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

, Pollard finished with 131 rushing yards on 12 attempts, including a 44-yard touchdown as the Cowboys won 44–21. Overall, in his rookie season, he finished with 86 carries for 455 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with 15 receptions for 107 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.

2020 season

Pollard continued his role as a backup to

Ezekiel Elliott Ezekiel Elijah Elliott (born July 22, 1995), nicknamed "Zeke", is an American professional American football, football running back. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes football, Ohio State Buckeyes, earning second-team College ...

to go along with some kickoff return duties in the 2020 season. In Week 15 against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

, Pollard recorded 132 yards from scrimmage and two rushing touchdowns during the 41–33 win. Overall, he appeared in all 16 games, of which he started two, in the 2020 season. He finished with 101 carries for 435 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to go along with 28 receptions for 193 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.

2021 season

In Week 2, against the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

, Pollard totaled 137 scrimmage yards in the 20–17 victory. In Week 5, against the Giants, Pollard totaled 103 scrimmage yards in the 44–20 victory. Pollard finished the 2021 season with 130 carries for 719 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with 39 receptions for 337 receiving yards in 15 games.

2022 season

In Week 5, against the Rams, Pollard had a 57-yard rushing touchdown. In Week 8, against

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

, Pollard had 13 carries for 141 yards and three rushing touchdowns in the 49–29 win, and was named Ground Player of the Week. In the following game, against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

, he had 22 carries for 115 rushing yards and a touchdown. In Week 11, Pollard had 80 rushing yards, and six catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns in a 40–3 win over the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week. In Week 13, he had two rushing touchdowns in a 54–19 victory over the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

. He had a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown in the next game, a 27–23 victory over the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

. He finished the 2022 season with 193 carries for 1,007 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns to go along with 39 receptions for 371 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in 16 games and four starts. He was named as a Pro Bowler. During the Divisional Round against the 49ers, Pollard suffered a

high ankle sprain A high ankle sprain, also known as a syndesmotic ankle sprain (SAS), is a sprain of the syndesmotic ligaments that connect the tibia and fibula in the lower leg, thereby creating a mortise and tenon joint for the ankle. High ankle sprains are desc ...

and fractured fibula in the second quarter when 49ers defensive back

Jimmie Ward James Ward (born July 18, 1991) is an American professional football safety for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Northern Illinois Huskies, and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers ...

landed on his ankle while making the tackle. Pollard was carted to the X-ray room with an air cast on his leg, and later underwent surgery to repair the injury.

2023 season

On March 6, 2023, the Cowboys placed the

franchise tag In the National Football League (NFL), the franchise tag is a designation a team may apply to a player scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. The tag binds the player to the team for one year if certain conditions are met. Each team has on ...

on Pollard. He scored two touchdowns in a Week 1 victory over the Giants. In Week 3 against the Cardinals, he had 23 carries for 122 yards in the loss. Overall, in the 2023 season, Pollard had 252 carries for 1,005 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns to go with 55 receptions for 311 receiving yards.

Tennessee Titans

2024 season

Pollard signed a three-year deal with the

on March 14, 2024, and was named the starting running back for the 2024 season. Pollard had 16 carries for 82 yards and one touchdown in his Titans debut in a 24–17 Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears. In a 24–17 Week 2 loss against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

, he had 17 carries for 62 yards and five catches for 40 yards. In a 31–12 Week 4 victory over the

, he rushed 22 times for 88 yards and one touchdown. In a 20–17 Week 6 loss to the

, he had 17 carries for 93 yards and one touchdown. Pollard appeared in 16 games, although started missing snaps later in the season due to an

ankle The ankle, the talocrural region or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular joint. The ...

injury. He nonetheless finished with 260 carries for a career high 1,079 rushing yards and five touchdowns, and 41 receptions for 238 receiving yards.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

References

External links

Tennessee Titans bio

Memphis Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollard, Tony 1997 births Living people Players of American football from Memphis, Tennessee American football return specialists American football running backs Memphis Tigers football players Dallas Cowboys players National Conference Pro Bowl players Tennessee Titans players