Philadelphia Eagles: Re-signing Alfred Morris signifies trouble in Dallas
With Elliott officially holding out, the Cowboys’ decision to sign Alfred Morris reeks of desperation – much to the chagrin of Philadelphia Eagles fans.
Two days removed from the Philadelphia Eagles signing ex-Dallas Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick, Jerry Jones and company have found their own midsummer addition to fill out their roster in ex-Washington Redskins/Dallas Cowboys/San Francisco 49ers running back Alfred Morris.
However, the circumstances between the two signings could not be any more different.
For Philly, signing Scandrick bolsters the team’s injury-depleted cornerback unit and gives Jim Schwartz a veteran leader with slot experience should Cre’von LeBlanc miss the start of the regular season due to an incredibly unfortunate training camp leg injury.
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Dallas, on the other hand, signed Morris out of desperation.
After demanding a new contract earlier this summer, it looks like Ezekiel Elliott is officially holding himself out of training camp this year – with his Week 1 future very much up in the air.
Sure, the team did prepare for this outcome at least somewhat by selecting shifty Memphis running back/receiver/return man Tony Pollard with a fourth-round pick (128th overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft, but does that really make up for the absence of arguably the best rusher in the league?
That’d be a no from me, dog.
But how does Morris fit into this equation? Well, if Elliott does miss any regular-season time, Morris can slot in and start on the spot, but after passing the century mark in each of his first three seasons in the league – including his lone Pro Bowl season in 2014 – the 31-year-old hasn’t earned more than 600 rushing yards in a season since 2016 and hasn’t started in more than five games since 2015.
While Morris can still be a solid member of a running back rotation, he just isn’t a player who can handle 20, 25 carries a game anymore as a lead back – far from it. In his best post-Washington season (2017), Morris only averaged 8.2 carries a game for 39.07 yards.
Again, alright numbers for a rotational back, but if Morris has to start for an extended period of time, it’s not going to end well for an offense looking for parody – that is, unless you happen to be a fan of the Cowboys’ arch-rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Now sure, this could all be for not, as Ezekiel Elliott could put his ego aside and return to the Cowboys in time for the regular season contract or no contract, but as the Philadelphia Eagles prepare to chase another NFC East championship, it’s nice to know our southernmost foes are currently intertwined in turmoil with seemingly no end in sight.