Last offseason, the Dallas Cowboys painfully saw 2014 rushing leader DeMarco Murray depart to division rival Philadelphia. This year, Dallas has decided to return the favor to another NFC East foe.
On Tuesday, the Cowboys signed former Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris to a two-year, $3.75 million deal. The 27-year-old has never led the league in rushing like Murray has, but Morris did finish second to Adrian Peterson with 1,613 rushing yards in 2012.
It is certainly an exciting move for Dallas, and it will get the attention of a lot of fantasy owners, but there are reasons to be wary about drafting the Cowboys new running back.
For one, since his rookie season, Morris has seen his numbers decline each year. Last season, he rushed for a career-low 751 yards and only one touchdown. After rushing for 121 yards in Week 1 against the Dolphins, he didn’t hit the century mark again until Week 17.
But the biggest concern fantasy owners should have about the former Washington running back is the ineffectiveness he’s shown throughout his career without quarterback Robert Griffin III.
Morris and Griffin broke into the league together in 2012 and were an immediate smash hit. That season, the duo combined to rush for 2,428 yards as Washington led the league in rushing. Morris accumulated 1,690 yards from scrimmage and averaged over 100 yards per game on the ground.
But injuries derailed Griffin’s career, and it became very difficult for him to stay on the field. He missed 12 games combined in 2013 and 2014 and then despite being healthy last season, he lost his job to Kirk Cousins.
When Griffin was not on the field, Morris was an entirely different running back.
RGIII started and ended seven games during the 2014 season, and in those contests, Morris rushed for 579 yards and averaged 4.8 yards per carry. That’s the same average he possessed during his incredible rookie season.
However, in the nine games where Griffin either didn’t start or left with an injury, Morris only averaged 3.4 yards per attempt.
That trend continued in 2015. As previously mentioned, Griffin didn’t play at all last season, and Morris again struggled without him, averaging 3.7 yards per carry.
In 28 career games without Griffin as his signal caller, Morris has rushed for 100 yards just twice. The 27-year-old running back has 11 career 100-yard rushing games in 35 games with Griffin.
Clearly, the dual-running threat with RGII has made a major impact. Even later in Griffin’s tenure with Washington when he was trying to be a pocket passer, Morris was still effect because just the threat of RGIII scrambling opened up running lanes.
With the Cowboys, Morris will not have the luxury of an offense built around a dual-threat quarterback. What he does get, though, is a chance to play behind one of the best run-blocking offensive lines in the league. The often-disappointing Darren McFadden turned into a 1,000-yard rusher behind that line last season.
But any fantasy value Morris will receive with the great offensive line will be negated by the fact McFadden still remains in the fold in Dallas. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told reporters Wednesday that McFadden will remain the featured back for Dallas.
That just about seals his fantasy fate. The numbers already suggest he has trouble in traditional-style offenses, but with a limited amount of carries as well, owners should make sure to stay clear of Morris in the first half of fantasy drafts.
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