LANDOVER, MD – DECEMBER 30: Alfred Morris #46 of the Washington Redskins carries the ball against the defense of Eric Frampton #27 of the Dallas Cowboys in the third quarter at FedExField on December 30, 2012 in Landover, Maryland (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
NFLBy Liam McGuire on

Alfred Morris didn’t have to look very far to find his new home. The former Washington Redskins running back will remain in the NFC East, signing a two-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday. Per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, the deal is worth $3.5 million and has incentives that could earn Morris $5.5 million.

Morris burst onto the scene in 2012 as a sixth-round pick out of Florida Atlantic, rushing for 1,613 yards and 13 touchdowns in his debut campaign. Since then, he hasn’t matched that success, but did put together two more 1000-yard rushing seasons before a disappointing 2015, which saw him rush for 751 yards and one touchdown on 3.7 yards per carry. Getting away from the zone-read option scheme in which he had success was likely a factor.

With only 365 career receiving yards and no touchdowns, Morris isn’t exactly a dual threat. The 27-year-old can, however, carry a big workload and be a complimentary running back to Darren McFadden. During the past four seasons, no NFL running back has more carries than Morris’ 1,048.

The $3.5 million gamble isn’t a big one for the Cowboys, as it barely puts a dent into the team’s salary cap. Dallas owner Jerry Jones did well to get him on such a small, risk-free deal.

Of course, the Redskins and Cowboys are huge rivals and often don’t play nice together. While some Redskins fans were congratulating Morris on Twitter, other fans didn’t take the news of Morris departing for an arch-rival very well on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/cellycellll/status/712275989708013568

https://twitter.com/TooDieFour/status/712300489803567104

To bring the point home, here’s a preview of Morris’ new Cowboys jerseys.

Signing Morris also brings aboard an opponent that has pounded the Dallas defense during the past four seasons. In eight games versus the Cowboys, Morris rushed for 710 yards and seven touchdowns on 152 attempts. Those are easily his best numbers against any NFL team. So for Dallas, this is a classic case of “If you can’t stop him, sign him.”

It’s always tough to see a good player go, but it stings extra when he or she goes to a bitter rival. Redskins fans will have to get used to seeing Morris in Cowboys gear, a sight sure to fill them with sickness and rage if he plays well when the two teams meet next season.

About Liam McGuire

Social +Staff writer for The Comeback & Awful Announcing. Liammcguirejournalism@gmail.com

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