'Deebo Lite': Why Trade for Samuel When Cowboys Already Have Tony Pollard?
FRISCO - The brilliant performance of Deebo Samuel for the 2021 San Francisco 49ers suggests that he is a "one-of-a-kind'' player.
But in fact, is might just be "the best of his kind.''
Couldn't the Dallas Cowboys - who despite misinterpretations of what COO Stephen Jones recently said about the concept of trading for Deebo have no actual intention of doing so - use a "poor-man's Deebo'' who is already on the roster.
In other words: Can't Tony Pollard be a "wing back''?
Shortly after Samuel made his trade request public, the Pro Bowl wide receiver “liked” a photoshopped social-media picture of himself playing in a Cowboys jersey. Understandably, that led to a lot of speculation about Samuel’s future with the San Francisco 49ers.
And, to the credit of the guys at 105.3 The Fan, it led to a carefully phrased question to Jones about the team’s interest in Samuel.
“You obviously keep ur eye on anything and everything thats going on,” Jones replied. “Things have to fit in and work, but we’re always looking at where we are from a personnel standpoint and where we can get better.”
This answer is painfully vague and generic … but given the Cowboys’ general position on giving up capital (cap money and the high NFL Draft pick it would take to pull off such a deal), the fact the answer is something far short of “yes” is hardly a surprising one. (That, by the way, makes it weird that ProFootballTalk.com is interpreting Stephen's remarks as meaning, "We won't rule out Deebo.'')
Obviously, every NFL front office is constantly in search of ways to upgrade their rosters. Or, as Stephen likes to term roster-building, “It’s a 24/7 business.”
Having accepted that, we've addressed three follow-up points on Deebo and Dallas that you can read here.
Additionally ...
*Pollard makes $800,000 APY, a fraction of the $20 mil Deebo likely wants.
*Also, while we think of Pollard as a sort of "scatback'' due to his speed, he's 6-0, 212, and has shown no reluctance to run inside the tackles. How big is Samuel, who is also a fine combination of speed and power? He's in the same range, at 6-0, 216.
*Deebo's background is as a wide receiver; Pollard did much of that in college.
*Oh, and one more thing: Pollard is already on the roster. Dallas doesn't have to give up a first-round pick to use him - it just needs to instruct offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to do so.
Pollard could still be Ezekiel Elliott's backup. Or sidekick. Or he could beat him out. But in any event, the fastest, easiest way for Dallas to "employ a Deebo'' is to employ the Deebo Lite already on the roster.
That's Tony Pollard.
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