Running back Tony Pollard received the franchise tag from the Dallas Cowboys, preventing him from fleeing in free agency with a $10.09 million guarantee for the 2023 season.

The deadline to apply the franchise tag is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.

Pollard’s 2022 breakout season ended with a bad leg break, but he’s expected to be full strength in time for the mandatory portion of offseason workouts.

Players given the non-exclusive franchise tag can still meet with interested teams. If Pollard receives a contract offer from another team, the Cowboys can choose to match the offer to retain Pollard, or decline to match and accept two first-round picks as trade compensation.

Pollard, 25, ran for 1,007 yards and nine touchdowns on 193 carries — all career highs — while splitting time in the Dallas backfield with Ezekiel Elliott in 2022.

Pollard, a fourth-round draft pick in 2019, suffered a high ankle sprain and a fractured fibula late in the first half of the Cowboys’ divisional playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Ten days later he underwent “tightrope” surgery to provide stability to the injured ankle.

His fibula should return to full strength by late March, Pollard said.

A Pro Bowler for the first time, Pollard was replaced by Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook for the Pro Bowl Games.

Dallas has regularly relied on the franchise tag to keep key players, including tight end Dalton Schultz (2022), quarterback Dak Prescott (2020), and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (2018, 2019). Only Lawrence in 2019 reached a long-term deal with the Cowboys before the July deadline to remove the one-year franchise tender and replace it with a multi-year agreement.

The Cowboys addressed using the tag to keep Pollard on the roster last week at the NFL Scouting Combine. Applying the tag Monday allows the Cowboys to negotiate restructuring with Elliott, 28, who could ultimately be released to clear the starting role for Pollard.

Elliott and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expressed interest in having both players on the roster for the 2023 season.

–Field Level Media

The Tennessee Titans are expected to release pass rusher Bud DuPree in a cost-cutting move, NFL Network reported Monday.

The report comes a day after Bally Sports reported that the Titans shopped All-Pro running back Derrick Henry at last week’s Scouting Combine.

Henry, 29, is entering the final year of his contract with the Titans. He’s owed $10.5 million in base salary in 2023 — non-guaranteed — but would count $16.4 million against the cap after signing a restructured deal with the Titans in September, according to Spotrac.

Trading Henry would save the Titans roughly $6 million against the cap, incurring a dead cap hit of $10.1 million.

DuPree is due to make $17 million in 2023. The Titans would clear $9.35 million in cap space. The Titans signed him to a five-year, $82.5 million deal in March 2021.

DuPree, 30, had just seven sacks in two seasons and 22 games (17 starts) for the Titans. He posted 46.5 sacks in six seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who selected him No. 22 overall in the 2015 draft.

DuPree has 10 forced fumbles and 82 quarterback hits in 103 career games (83 starts) with the two teams.

Henry is a three-time Pro Bowl selection who has rushed for 8,335 yards and 78 touchdowns in 102 games (71 starts) for the Titans, who selected him in the second round of the 2016 draft.

–Field Level Media

Southern Cal offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees, an All-American in 2022 who’s considered a top-100 NFL draft prospect, tore his ACL during drills at the Scouting Combine, NFL Network reported Monday.

A second OL prospect, Wanya Morris of Oklahoma, sustained a Grade 2 hamstring pull in his 40-yard dash, per NFL Network.

Vorhees suffered his injury Sunday but then came back Monday morning to do 38 reps in the 225-pound bench press with one leg on the ground, per the report. It’s reportedly a clean tear.

The injury occurred during position drills, per the report. Vorhees measured at 6-feet-6 and 310 pounds with 32 1/8 arm length.

Vorhees made 37 starts at USC over his four-year career, with 25 at right guard. The injury will likely erase his entire first season in the NFL.

Morris’ injury is a 3- to 4-week recovery, and it’s expected he’ll be ready for private workouts in April, per the report.

–Field Level Media

No general manager cheered top quarterback performances at the NFL Scouting Combine more than Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears.

Chicago owns the No. 1 pick in the draft for the first time since 1947 but Poles, in his second season with the franchise, has no intention of drafting any of the quarterbacks who are in high demand atop the 2023 draft in April.

Any team can have the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and Poles made the asking price crystal clear over the past week.

“I’m blessed to be able to read people,” Poles said in an interview with NBC Sports. “I can feel it. There’s urgency out there. There’s pressure.”

Reports indicate at least three teams have offers on the table to the Bears: the Houston Texans, who pick second and 12th overall in 2023; the Indianapolis Colts, who pick at No. 4 and No. 35; and the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle has a bonus first-round pick, No. 5, as a result of the Russell Wilson trade last year, as well as the No. 20 pick.

Poles, 37, doesn’t need to act with any urgency. Picks in the next three drafts can be used in trades only after the 2023 league year begins March 15. If Poles waits until draft day, 2026 draft picks can also be included.

The Bears are comfortable at quarterback with developing 2021 first-rounder Justin Fields. And with $100 million in salary cap space, the Bears are in position to assure the rebuild under way has some staying power. Moving lower than the No. 2 pick in a trade with the Texans would bring the risk for Poles that his preferred player is picked by the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3. Like Chicago, the Cardinals aren’t in this QB market.

“No one’s gonna rush me,” Poles said. “I know I can get a ‘24 one and a ‘25 one. You’re telling me for the next two years I’ll have two ones? That’s either four really good players, or if we’re cruising, we can still trade back.”

Poles is operating without a second-round pick in 2023. The Bears traded theirs, which turned out to be No. 32 overall, to the Pittsburgh Steelers at the October deadline for wide receiver Chase Claypool. When Miami forfeited its first-round pick due to tampering, the first pick of the second round became No. 32.

That intel might be good news for the Colts, who could offer No. 4 and No. 35 for No. 1.

The Texans have trump cards at nearly every turn with capital returned from the Cleveland Browns and the Deshaun Watson trade last year. In addition to the second pick and No. 12 from Cleveland, Houston has an extra third-round pick from the Browns and five of the top 73 selections in this draft.

Should Seattle veer to make a move out of general manager John Schneider’s typical lane of moving back and collecting value, this could be the year. Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll chirped of the rare opportunity and decided interest in quarterbacks in this class, which might also be calculated public discourse to entice a trade offer from another QB-needy team.

But Seattle picks fifth, 20th and 37th, with five total picks in the top 83.

The Raiders (seventh) and Panthers (ninth) are also known to be in the QB market.

“The interesting part is having a conversation with one team, and then one hour later another team texts you wanting in on the trade and they’re not afraid of what the floor of what you’re asking for is,” Poles said.

–Field Level Media

Free agent quarterback Derek Carr and the New Orleans Saints are finalizing terms of a long-term deal, according to Monday reports.

Carr was drafted in 2014 by the Oakland Raiders with Dennis Allen as head coach. While the franchise moved to Las Vegas and decided late last season to move on from Carr, he’ll rejoin Allen and take the reins of the Saints’ offense after spending nine seasons with the Raiders.

NFL Network and ESPN reported a contract between Carr and the Saints was likely to be in place Monday or Tuesday.

Carr had a jumpstart on the unrestricted free-agent class because he was released last month. The Raiders faced a Feb. 15 deadline to pick up the guarantee on his contract that would’ve included more than $40 million in payments.

The Saints were in limbo at the position and were the first team to host Carr last month. They had permission from the Raiders at the time, hoping to facilitate a trade. But Carr refused to waive his no-trade clause, entering free agency and meeting with the Jets and Panthers after his two-day New Orleans trek.

The Saints began last season with Jameis Winston as their starter but used Taysom Hill and Andy Dalton on the way to a 7-10 season.

In his nine seasons with the Raiders, Carr played for six head coaches, went 63-79 as a starter and led the team to the playoffs twice without a win. He didn’t play in the 2016 season postseason game due to a broken leg.

Carr set franchise records of 35,222 yards and 217 touchdowns. He is a four-time Pro Bowl selection, including this season when he passed for 3,522 yards, 24 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

–Field Level Media

The Los Angeles Rams are expected to release edge rusher Leonard Floyd and green-lighted wide receiver Allen Robinson’s efforts to find a trade partner, according to reports by ESPN and NFL Network on Monday.

The Rams will try to trade Floyd first, but his contract – including a $22 million cap hit in 2023 – stands as a serious hurdle. The Rams will save $3 million in cap space with a pre-June 1 release.

Floyd, 30, has 29 sacks in three seasons for the Rams, starting every game. He has 47.5 career sacks in 104 starts with the Rams and Chicago Bears (2016-19), who selected Floyd No. 9 overall in the 2016 draft.

The Rams are willing to pay a portion of Robinson’s $15.25 million guaranteed salary to help facilitate a trade, NFL Network reported.

The Rams signed Robinson to a three-year, $46.5 million contract in March 2022. He responded with 33 catches for 339 yards and three touchdowns in 2022, playing in just 10 games.

The Rams are parting ways with Bobby Wagner and weighing trading Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

–Field Level Media

Defensive tackles set the spin rate on overdrive at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.

As the first group on the turf at Lucas Oil Stadium for testing and position workouts last week, the interior defensive linemen raised the bar.

Two first-round hopefuls, Pitt’s Calijah Kancey and Northwestern’s Adetomiwa Adebawore, might have solidified their status with blazing times in the 40 and stellar overall workouts.

Here’s a list of players who helped their draft status the most in Indy:

Adetomiwa Adebawore, DL, Northwestern
Adebawore ran a 4.49 40-yard dash with the defensive end position group but played inside for the Wildcats. He popped at the Senior Bowl, where he was named the top practice week defensive lineman.

Chase Brown, RB, Illinois
The latest Bret Bielema workhorse, Brown erased doubts about his long speed (4.43 40) and led running backs in explosive testing, going 10-feet-7 in the broad jump with a 40-inch vertical.

Blake Freeland, OT, BYU
His listed height (6-feet-8) checked out and then Freeland’s explosiveness evident in game film was verified via testing. He set the record for vertical jump at 37 inches, adding a 10-foot broad jump, and his 34-inch reach seals the deal as a gem on the edge.

Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia
Field Level Media ranked Jones as a first-rounder before Indy, and he nailed the event with the best 40 at the position (4.98 seconds) and moved like a 200-pounder in position drills.

Rashee Rice, WR, SMU
A 41-inch vertical only boosts the stock of a receiver we liked in the second round pre-event because of disciplined and nuanced route-running, excellent body control and the catch radius of a much bigger target (6-1, 200).

Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida
If you’ve been paying attention, Richardson is getting a lot of love from armchair evaluators just coming to know his athletic arsenal. Even NFL scouts who projected Richardson as a first-rounder before the combine are ready to give him a bump. Richardson led the position group in height (6-4 1/4), weight (244), 40-yard dash (4.43), vertical jump (40 1/2 inches) and broad jump (10 feet, 9 inches).

Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern
Let the guard-or-tackle debate continue. Some teams won’t use Skoronski at tackle because his arms are relatively short (32 1/4 inches) by NFL standards (33 7/8 inches is the minimum for many teams scouting OTs). His light feet, agility, balance and short-area burst — 1.75 10-yard split in the 40 — are evidence he’s a first-rounder regardless of position.

Nolan Smith, Edge, Georgia
Teams still have to question the overall production — 12.5 sacks for the Bulldogs — but Smith became the first player in combine history to weigh over 235 pounds, run sub-4.4 (4.39) and post a vertical over 40 inches (41 1/2).

C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
Accuracy and arm talent are the buzzwords out of Stroud’s on-field passing display Saturday. He did nothing to hurt his chances as a top-5 pick, all without doing any other athletic testing.

Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia
Cancel the projections of moving the 6-7, 265-pounder to tight end in the NFL, and forget the suggestion he would be available in the second round. Washington is just 21 years old, was the third-fastest in the combine short shuttle at 4.08 seconds, and ran the 40 in 4.64 seconds.

–Field Level Media