Tony Pollard, Alfred Morris, and the Fullback Jamize Olawale are the only three running backs currently on the Dallas Cowboys 53-man roster. Things could change rather quickly though once Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys finally mutually agree upon a contract extension, which if rumors are true could be any day now. That’s good news for Dallas, but not so much for Alfred Morris.
If I’m being completely honest, I was little surprised to see Alfred Morris make it through roster cuts to begin with. I thought second-year RB Jordan Chunn clearly outplayed Morris in preseason and was the favorite to become the RB3 in 2019 behind Zeke and Tony Pollard. But, the Cowboys brass thought otherwise.
I can completely understand their thinking by keeping Alfred Morris on the initial 53-man roster. If Ezekiel Elliott doesn’t make it back by Week 1 of the regular season for the matchup with the New York Giants Morris’ veteran experience is preferable over two young and inexperienced running backs like Pollard and Chunn. It’s probably the right choice to make, but what if Zeke does return in time for the Giants game?
This is where Alfred Morris’ job security comes into play and becomes tied to Ezekiel Elliott in my opinion. If Zeke returns before the 2019 regular-season gets underway, Morris probably is the odd man out in the Cowboys backfield. I believe there are several reasons why this is likely true.
Firstly, Morris’ 2019 contract with the Dallas Cowboys would become fully guaranteed if he’s on the roster still for the first week of the season. It’s not a large amount of money that would negatively impact Dallas’ salary cap, but why pay for a player who is not likely to stick around for long anyway?
Once No. 21 does return, he’s going to reprise his role as the primary ballcarrier with rookie RB Tony Pollard picking up whatever is left over. That means Morris would basically be collecting a check just by standing on the sidelines, because he doesn’t contribute or play on any of the special teams units. Only backup QBs get paid for doing that in the NFL.
As you can see, it’s hard to believe Alfred Morris will be on the Dallas Cowboys roster for much longer and could see his time coming to an end before the season actually gets underway. I think it all depends on what happens with Ezekiel Elliott in these next few days and I’m sure Morris knows that as well.
I say offer him the new deal and then give him a deadline to sign it. If he continues to drag his feet and doesn’t sign the new deal, then pull the offer off of the table and he can finish the final 2 years of his current contract or he can sit in Cabo. His choice, and that is how I would put it to him. This has gotten completely out of hand!!!
I’ve kind of been waiting for Jerry Jones to start playing hardball with Ezekiel Elliott and his reps, but I don’t think it’s ever going to happen. The team could have been fining Zeke this whole time, but have chosen not to. I think the deal will get done here shortly and all of this will just be whitewashed and forgotten about in no time. But you’re right, if this thing keeps dragging on Jerry Jones needs to draw a line in the sand and dig in. The 2020 RB draft class is pretty deep/talented.
Yes, well easy for us fans to say BUT…do you really think that this team is better off with a rookie RB, a journey man and practice squad guy to round out their RB depth? Perhaps if they had signed Ajaye they might be better positioned to withstand a Zeke season long hold out?
How many times have you seen a player hold out and succumb to injury right out of the gate? Until Zeke proves he is in game shape they need Morris for the same reasons they kept him over Chunn.