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Quiet early in free agency, the Cowboys have made a move of great interest to fantasy football owners on Tuesday by signing former Redskins running back Alfred Morris.
Terms of the two-year deal have not yet been disclosed, but the signing gives the Cowboys a Pro Bowl-caliber player in their backfield after four years of playing against him.
As the team's official web site suggests, Morris doesn’t just give the Cowboys a talented player at a position of need, it shores up the Dallas running back corps for the coming season. The Cowboys still have Darren McFadden under contract for one year, and they re-signed Lance Dunbar to a one-year deal at the end of last week.
McFadden was a 1,000-yard back in this offense last season, but Morris is no stranger to carrying a heavy workload. He burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2012 by rushing for 1,613 yards and 13 touchdowns on 335 carries. He followed that up in 2013 with a 1,275-yard, seven-touchdown season that earned him his second-straight Pro Bowl trip.
Critics have pointed out that Morris’ production has declined in each of his NFL seasons. Splitting carries with Matt Jones last season, Morris rushed 202 times for 751 yards (3.7 yards per carry) and just one touchdown.
As NFL.com's Kevin Patra reminded readers, Morris burst on the scene as a rookie in 2012 as a quick, one-cut back who flourished in a zone rushing scheme. The attention on quarterback Robert Griffin III during Morris' first two seasons opened up huge holes.
The last two years, however, Morris has looked slow -- a product of a heavy workload (1,078 carries in four season) -- and he struggled to break tackles at the second level.
Despite that fact, though, the 27-year-old has churned out a tally of 4,713 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns in just four NFL seasons. And the Cowboys know first-hand what Morris can do. He has 710 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in eight games against the Cowboys, so maybe they were more moved by that trend.
According to Patra, McFadden should enter training camp the starter, but his injury history necessitates depth at the position. But Morris is in a position to eat away early down snaps from McFadden. Dunbar will take the pass catching role out of the backfield -- assuming the torn ACL and patellar tendon injury he suffered last year.
In Washington, Jones was already expected to be the lead back. Morris' departure all but ensures that.
In his first season with the Redskins, Jones appeared in 339 offensive snaps, accumulating 144 carries with 490 yards and three touchdowns along with 19 receptions for 304 yards which includes his 78-yard touchdown reception against the New Orleans Saints. The increased opportunity will make him of considerable fantasy interest heading into training camp.