Alfred Morris picks Dallas Cowboys as his next landing spot
You’d think, if the money was close, running backs searching for a fountain of youth would flock to the Dallas Cowboys.
Alfred Morris did. The former Washington Redskins running back, who was a star as a rookie but has faded some since, has decided to sign a two-year deal with the Cowboys and run behind one of the best offensive lines in recent memory. The NFL Network and ESPN reported the news.
It’s an interesting match. The Cowboys needed someone to pair with Darren McFadden. McFadden had a good season in Dallas last year, and has played all 16 games two straight seasons, but he’s not known for his durability and will be 29 this year. It’s easy to envision a scenario in which Morris gets a chance to carry the load for some of the season.
Morris has been durable, never missing a game in his four Washington seasons, and productive. His 1,613-yard, 13-touchdown performance in 2012 is one of the best rookie seasons of all time. Since then his yards and yards per carry has dropped every year, falling to 751 yards and 3.7 yards per carry last season. But McFadden had seasons of 3.3, 3.3 and 3.4 yards per carry before coming to Dallas and rushing for 4.6 per attempt last season. Dallas’ line is that good.
The Cowboys will probably have enough carries to go around for Morris too. Even though McFadden had a few high-usage games last year, the Cowboys won’t want to overwork him. And it would make sense for them to lean on the running game heavily in an attempt to keep Tony Romo healthy all season. Even if McFadden plays all 16 games again, Morris should get enough carries to be a factor.
Morris doesn’t have the star power he did after his amazing 2012 season, but he can still be a productive back. And whatever production he has left will be maximized running in the Cowboys’ offense.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
