Morris set to join Shanahan again
Alfred Morris’ career could end the same way it began: with Kyle Shanahan as his offensive play-caller.
On Monday, the 49ers’ head coach said the team will sign Morris, 29, who opened his career with two 1,000-yard seasons when Shanahan was Washington’s offensive coordinator. Morris needs to pass a physical to make the signing official.
“It’s not flashy, but he runs extremely hard,” Shanahan said. “He’s very reliable ... He’s a hard-nosed runner who you can keep handing the ball off to.”
The 49ers are bringing in Morris because of injuries to their top two running backs. On Sunday, starter Jerick McKinnon sustained a calf strain that will sideline him for at least a week. On Thursday, in a preseason-opening win against Dallas, Matt Breida sustained a separated shoulder that will sideline him for the rest of the exhibition season.
Morris, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, ranks 11th among active running backs in rushing yards (5,503) and 16th in rushing touchdowns (32). He spent the past two seasons with the Cowboys as Ezekiel Elliott’s backup.
A 2012 sixth-round pick, Morris rushed for 1,613 yards and 13 touchdowns as a rookie with Shanahan in Washington. In 2013, their last season together, he had 1,275 yards and seven touchdowns.
Last year, Morris made five starts and had 547 yards, averaging 4.8 yards a carry.
Shanahan said Morris will have a chance to make the 53man roster, but he likely faces long odds to serve as a No. 3 running back. Raheem Mostert, a candidate for the No. 3 spot, provides excellent special-teams value, and Joe Williams is a 2017 fourth-round pick Shanahan lobbied general manager John Lynch to select.
“I just told (Morris) I waited so long to invite him because I wouldn’t invite him unless I believed he had the chance to make the team,” Shanahan said. “... He’s getting in late but we’ll see how he does over these next few weeks. If he’s running the same way he always has, he’ll have a chance.”
Two in Texas: The 49ers left shortly after their practice finished Monday morning for Houston, where they will have joint practices with the Texans on Wednesday and Thursday before their preseason game Saturday night.
“We’re very sick of going against the same scheme every day,” Shanahan said. “It’ll be nice to go against something else. … It gives you two practices where you can go against different stuff, which prepares all your players for what they’re going to see during the year. And just the monotony of camp: It’s good to change it up.”
The practices will be held at 9:15 a.m. in a nod to the south Texas heat. The forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-90s throughout the week with a heat index above 100.