Cowboys’ Morris gallops back into starting role
RB would replace suspended Elliott
After a lengthy back-and-forth — and still ongoing — legal battle, it appears as if the Dallas Cowboys will at last have to begin life without Ezekiel Elliott.
Barring a last-minute stay (the NFL Players Association on Wednesday filed a motion — yes, another motion in this saga — for an emergency injunction to prevent the NFL from enforcing Elliott’s six-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy in relation to domestic violence allegations), the second-year back will begin missing games starting this Sunday afternoon.
That leaves the Cowboys (4-3) with a gaping void in their offense and their postseason hopes in jeopardy given they wouldn’t currently qualify anyway. Elliott’s 690 rushing yards ranks third in the NFL, and his 98.6-yards-per-game average is second best.
After a moderate start to the season, Elliott just produced his best outings of
2017 (147 yards and two touchdowns versus the San Francisco 49ers and 150 yards and a pair of scores against Washington) having regained the top form that produced a 1,631-yard, 15-touchdown rookie season a year ago.
But now Zeke’s gone — we think — and Sunday features a meeting with the AFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs
(6-2), who will likely present a stiffer challenge than did the winless Niners and the badly battered Redskins.
Continued success in the rushing department is imperative for Dallas. It eases pressure on quarterback Dak Prescott, who ranks 23rd in the NFL with 224 passing yards per game and
17th in completion percentage (62.8%). The Cowboys plan to turn primarily to Alfred Morris, who has 13 carries and
105 yards in six appearances this season. Ignore the numbers, though. Dallas probably couldn’t ask for a better fallback plan, and Morris couldn’t ask for a more ideal scenario with free agency looming in 2018.
Morris has sought an opportunity like this ever since his four-year stint in Washington unceremoniously ended after the 2015 campaign. Despite being a three-time 1,000-yard rusher and twotime Pro Bowler, the Redskins didn’t try to retain his services. Team brass gambled on his backup, Matt Jones, and lost — Jones got benched halfway through the 2016 season and is no longer with the team.
Morris drew only moderate interest on the open market because the Redskins essentially devalued him in 2015. They dramatically scaled back the amount of zone-blocking plays in which he thrived and split his workload with Jones, a third-round pick out of Florida in 2015.
After averaging 1,321 yards on 292 carries in his first three seasons, Morris produced just 751 yards on 202 carries during his final year in D.C.
The Cowboys signed him to a modest two-year, $3.5 million deal with plans of teaming him with veteran Darren McFadden.
But a month later, Dallas took Elliott with the fourth pick of the draft, and Morris became his backup.
The Redskins missed Morris. With Jones struggling with consistency and ball security, Washington actually inquired last season about trading to bring Morris back, two people familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports. They spoke under the condition of anonymity because neither Washington nor Dallas discusses trade talks publicly.
But the Cowboys wanted to keep Morris, who finished with 243 yards and two TDs in 2016, as insurance behind Elliott. That decision could pay off for Dallas now.
Morris is a proven back who’s played in big games. He helped carry the Redskins to the NFC East title in 2012 and had some of his better games down the stretch of the 2015 season, when Washington made another surge to win the division.
And he’s still only 28.
The Cowboys greatly value Elliott’s first-down production (4.4 yards per carry this season), among other things. That consistent chunk routinely sets up the offense for more diverse options in second-and-manageable scenarios.
Now that task falls on Morris, who has averaged 4.3 yards per carry on first downs during his career when used as a starter — an important distinction. In his reserve role, Morris averaged just 3.5 yards per carry last season. And take away a 70-yard run this year (Dallas’ longest of the year), he has managed a 2.9-yard average.
But Morris is a rhythm runner. While some backs provide great bursts off the bench, the 6-0, 222-pounder is most effective with a heavier workload because he uses early carries to get a feel for defenses, and then his numbers increase as games go on and defenders wear down.
“I’ve done this before,” Morris told reporters Wednesday as he prepared for the Chiefs.
“I’m happy I came here. I’m a better person, better husband, better father, better player, better follower of God, and I thank Him for that. Is that how I wanted it to go? Not at all.
“But there’s no pressure. It’s just another day at the office. … I’m always prepared to carry a load.”
“I’ve done this before. I’m happy I came here.” Alfred Morris Cowboys running back