Washington Redskins: Alfred Morris on his way out

By Andrew Long | Nov 28, 2015

The Washington Redskins selected Alfred Morris in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. The young running back shined throughout his rookie campaign, as he carried the ball 335 times for 1,613 yards and 13 touchdowns. Morris managed to skip the dreaded sophomore slump and posted a second 1,000-plus yard season with 276 carries for 1,275 yards and seven touchdowns.

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He was hands down one of the best running backs in the NFL during his first two years in the league, rushing for a total of 2,888 yards and 20 scores. It seemed as if Morris was bound to cross the thousand-yard mark on a consistent basis, but, with the insertion of head coach Jay Gruden, things began to look rather murky for the late-round draft pick.

With Gruden in and Mike Shanahan and his zone-blocking scheme out, Morris’ numbers began to slip. In 2014, Gruden’s first year leading the Redskins, the amount of yards he accumulated decreased, and not just slightly, either. Morris carried the ball 265 times for 1,074 yards and eight touchdowns.

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While his touchdown rate remained steady, his yardage and rushing average dipped quite a bit. Under coach Shanahan, Morris boasted a 4.7 yard per carry average, which groups him in with players like Adrian Peterson (4.9), LeSean McCoy (4.6), Frank Gore (4.5), and Le’Veon Bell (4.3). Under the tutelage of Jay Gruden, though, things started to look very, very different for the two time Pro Bowler.

In one and a half seasons with Gruden at the helm, Morris has seen his rushing average drop from 4.7 to 3.8 yards per carry. His rushing average under Gruden pushes him into the lower sector of a group that includes players like Ronnie Hillman (4.1), Darren McFadden (4.0), and Isaiah Crowell (3.7).

Nov 15, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones (31) carries the ball against the New Orleans Saints at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Hillman, McFadden, and Crowell, in my opinion, are nothing more than running back by committee players. Personally, I believe that Morris is far better than all of those players; the Redskins just aren’t giving him enough opportunities to prove his worth. A big reason for his lack of carries and production is the addition of Matt Jones, a rookie running back out of Florida.

Jones has carried the ball nearly as many times as Morris this season – Jones currently has 90 carries for 332 yards and three touchdowns to his credit. It’s becoming more and more evident that the Washington Redskins want to go in another direction at the running back position, and the amount of action that Jones has seen shows that the team is looking to do so sooner rather than later.

The fact that Jones is better in the passing-game doesn’t help Morris’ cause, either. The rookie running back has caught 14 passes for 222 yards and one touchdown on the year. On the flip side, Morris has only caught nine passes for 43 yards and no scores. His inability to be effective in the passing game has long been a problem for him, and it’s likely playing a role in his lack of usage this season.

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With Jones now in the mix for the Washington Redskins, I don’t foresee the team bringing back Morris after his contract ends at the conclusion of the season. His rushing numbers have fallen, he’s a liability as a pass-catcher, and he has an awful lot of mileage for a 26-year-old running back.

And while I believe much of Morris’ downfall is because of a new system and an increase in passing attempts, it seems incredibly unlikely that he’ll return to Washington after this season.

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