I did an interview for Comcast Sports Net Mid-Atlantic Monday afternoon and they were asking lots of Cowboys questions, but one that I found interesting was about Alfred Morris.
The former Pro Bowl running back is no longer in Washington and signed with Dallas in the offsesason.
CSN wanted to know if he will have any real role since the Cowboys drafted Ohio State's excellent running back Zeke Elliott with the fourth overall pick the NFL draft back in April.
My response...yes.
The NFL is a long season and we just don't see many bellcow backs anymore. I think Elliott will become a very good player and become the lead dog as the Cowboys ballcarrier, but he will not shoulder the load alone. That's a lot to ask of a rookie.
Most teams use multiple running backs and, so many guys get injured, a club will need to use three backs over the course of the season.
The day after I did my interview with CSN, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett announced Tuesday McFadden broke his elbow at home over Memorial Day weekend, came back AND PRACTICED with it last week.
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Garrett said, "The guy is tough.
He'll out a few months according to the coach, which just proves more of my point, Morris will have a role on this team.
New England ran out of guys last year. LeGarrett Blount and Dion Lewis were lost to injuries. The Pats used Brandon Bolden, James White and Steven Jackson before losing in the AFC Championship at Denver.
Buffalo led the NFL in rushing and used a trio of running backs: LeSean McCoy led the Bills in rushing yards (895), Karlos Williams led Buffalo in TD's (7), and Mike Gillislee got 43 carries and scored three times. Anthony Dixon was also given 21 carries.
That brings me to Dallas who started off trying to make Joseph Randle the DeMarco Murray replacement. He started six games before being cut during the season. He still led the club in rushing touchdowns with four.
Darren McFadden finished fourth in the NFL in rushing with 1,089 yards. Lance Dunbar was expected to be their 3rd down back but his season was cut short due injury by Week 4.
Dallas traded for Christine Michael before letting him go and then tried to work in Robert Turbin.
That's five players the Cowboys needed to use at the running back position in 2015.
That is why Alfred Morris is on the Cowboys and the recent trend in the NFL tells us Morris will be need to carry some of the load at some point in 2016.
Can we trust that McFadden will stay healthy? His history says no.
I also think Morris can be an effective short yardage back. The Cowboys lacked that ability last year.
