49ers Sign Veteran Running Back Alfred Morris

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NFL

Running Back Alfred Morris Is Now A 49er

The San Francisco 49ers have agreed to terms with veteran running back Alfred Morris.

With recent injuries to the 49ers running back group, Coach Kyle Shanahan made the announcement during Monday’s press conference that the team would be signing running back Alfred Morris, dependent on him passing his physical.

Morris has since passed that physical and signed a one-year deal with the Niners. No further contract details have been made available at this time.

The Shanahan-Morris Connection

Alfred Morris has previous experience playing under Shanahan during his time with the Washington Redskins in 2012 and 2013. He reached career-high production in Shanahan’s offensive scheme. Morris appeared in all 16 games during the 2012 season, with 335 carries for a total of 1613 rushing yards. He also averaged 4.8 yards per carry and 13 TD’s. In 2013, Morris again appeared in all 16 games, totaling 1,275 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 276 carries.

Shanahan had this to say about running back Alfred Morris:

“Alf did a great job for us the two years I was with him. It’s not flashy, but he runs extremely hard. He’s very reliable. You’re blocking for zero, usually he can get at least one. He’s a hard-nosed runner who you can keep handing the ball off to. He’s very reliable.”

Alfred played with the Dallas Cowboys for the past 2 seasons. His numbers dropped somewhat, however, due to his role as Ezekiel Elliott’s backup. During the 2017 regular season, he appeared in 14 games with 115 carries, 547 rushing yards, one touchdown, and an average 4.8 yards-per-carry.

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Niners starting running back Jerick McKinnon and second stringer Matt Breida are both out for the immediate future with injuries. McKinnon will be reassessed in a week following a right calf muscle strain during practice. Breida is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the preseason after sustaining a shoulder injury during the 49ers win over the Cowboys.

Coach Shanahan believes that Morris will have a good shot at making the 53-man roster. He will participate in joint training practices with the Houston Texans starting Wednesday.