The Redskins’ passing game has run hot and cold since training camp opened July 23. The defense looks winded one day and roars back the next. But throughout the highs and lows, third-year running back Alfred Morris has motored along like a reliable, low-maintenance truck.
The 5-foot-11, 224-pound Morris isn’t just churning up yardage on the ground at his customary clip; he’s also proving a sure-handed asset in the passing game — shining in one-on-one drills against linebackers.
With the first-team defense upstaging the offense in Thursday’s practice, the Redskins’ first since breaking camp Tuesday in Richmond, quarterback Robert Griffin III availed himself of the sure-handed Morris several times.
“Steady Eddie” is how Coach Jay Gruden referred to Morris after practice.
“He just comes to work every day, he makes his reads, he makes his cuts, does what he’s supposed to do,” Gruden said. “Just about everything about him is an impressive to me — the way he prepares, the way he works, the way he practices.”
Morris’s stock has taken a bit of a hit after the coaching regime change in Washington, but new HC Jay Gruden intends to keep the same running game (one reason they retained O-line coach Chris Foerster), so Morris’s outlook doesn’t change too much. He still isn’t much of a player in the passing game, so his PPR value is on the low side, though he’s a fairly safe start in any format given his steady workload. If he starts to get involved in the passing game, watch out.
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