Alfred Morris - Pro Football Rumors

Cowboys Rumors: Robinson, Morris, Mayowa

March 21st, 2016 at 6:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones spoke with reporters to address a pair of open items. Here are some of the highlights:

The Cowboys are still talking with free agent cornerback Patrick Robinson and free agent running back Alfred Morris, but there is no deal for either player yet (Twitter link via David Moore of The Dallas Morning News). Both players visited Dallas on Monday and it was expected that one of them would sign with the club, with Robinson being the more likely of the two to land with the Cowboys. The Cowboys had interest last offseason in Robinson before he ended up inking a $2MM deal with the Chargers.
Jones said Cowboys are still awaiting the Raiders’ decision on whether to match their offer for Benson Mayowa, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. The Cowboys signed the defensive end to an offer sheet that would give him a three-year deal and a $3.3MM signing bonus with base salaries of $700K, $2.5MM, and $2.75MM. Oakland has until Wednesday to reach their verdict.
The Cowboys see a great deal of upside in Mayowa and they believe that he possesses the attributes that they want in a pass rusher (Twitter link via Archer). Mayowa, 24, has only made three starts so far in his NFL career, but he has appeared in 30 total games for the Raiders and Seahawks. In 2015, he recorded 16 tackles, a sack, two fumble recoveries, and a safety.

NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Washington, Eagles

March 21st, 2016 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Cornerback Patrick Robinson and running back Alfred Morris are visiting Dallas today, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported this morning (via Twitter) that there’s an expectation that at least one of them – likely Robinson – could sign with the club. Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram confirms (via Twitter) that the Cowboys are indeed closer to getting a deal done with Robinson than they are with Morris, though nothing has been finalized yet.

As we wait to see if the team can work something out with Robinson, and perhaps Morris as well, let’s check in on some other NFC East items….

Washington general manager Scot McLoughan sounds prepared to move down more than once in this year’s draft, suggesting that he’d like to add four more picks to the club’s current collection of eight. Andrew Walker of Redskins.com has the details and the quotes from McLoughan.
Nose tackle is a position of need for Washington, and the team has plenty of options, including re-signing Terrance Knighton. As John Keim of ESPN.com writes, Washington hasn’t ruled out the possibility of bringing back Pot Roast, but could opt instead to sign another veteran or add a prospect in the draft.
Whereas money “does a lot of the talking” early in the free agent process, Eagles GM Howie Roseman believes offering players the opportunity to fill a potential hole or compete for playing time is a key factor during this later stage of the free agent period, per Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News. Roseman acknowledged the Eagles may still add some free agent depth, but said the club is shifting its primary focus to draft preparation.
The Cowboys are scheduled to have a private workout with Florida State linebacker Terrance Smith today, tweets Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Smith projects as a probable late-round pick.

NFC East Notes: Robinson, Weddle, Giants

March 20th, 2016 at 7:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here’s the latest from the NFC East as Week 2 of free agency concludes.

Patrick Robinson and Alfred Morris are scheduled to meet with Cowboys position coaches tonight and Monday after arriving in Dallas today. The former Chargers cornerback and Washington running back, however, spent time on the phone with Jason Garrett before he left for the NFL Owners’ Meetings in South Florida, Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones told media, including David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. “Jason’s spent some good time on the phone with them,” Jones said. “So have we. Obviously, we tried to get them in there before we left but in their particular cases it didn’t work out that way.”
Jones told media, including Moore, Eric Weddle was interested in joining the Cowboys, but the team wasn’t ready to go where the Ravens were financially to secure the 31-year-old safety’s services. Interested in coming to Dallas partially due to special teams coach Rich Bisaccia having been on the Chargers’ staff in 2011-12, Weddle ended up landing in Baltimore for four years and $26MM. Both Bisaccia and Garrett contacted Weddle during free agency, however, Moore reports.
John Mara and his top front office assistants thought the Giants had a realistic shot of signing two of the three high-priced players on Big Blue’s list of durable, in-their-prime free agents, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com reports. The cap-rich Giants instead landed their preferred defensive trio of Olivier Vernon, Damon Harrison and Janoris Jenkins in hopes of fixing their last-ranked defense. Mara did concede that troika proved to be pricier than anticipated. “The three guys were a little more expensive than I thought they were going to be, but they are all young, they are all healthy and they fulfill needs,” Mara told media, including Raanan. Jenkins has missed four games in four seasons, while Vernon suited up for every Dolphins contest since 2012. Harrison played and started in each Jets contest since 2013. The Giants were the most injured team in the NFL in each of the past three seasons, per Raanan.
After allocating more money to this year’s class of free agents than they did in the previous four seasons combined, the Giants expect to dial it back significantly next spring, Mara told media, including Raanan (Twitter link). “I certainly don’t see us being this aggressive next year,” Mara said.

Alfred Morris To Visit Cowboys

March 18th, 2016 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent running back Alfred Morris will make his first visit of the offseason on Monday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Morris will head to Dallas to meet with the Cowboys. Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com first tweeted that the Cowboys were expected to host Morris on Monday.

A sixth-round pick in the 2012 draft, Morris made an immediate impact during his rookie season in Washington, amassing the third-most carries in the NFL (335) and finishing second in both rushing yards (1,613) and touchdowns (13). Morris declined the next two years, though he was still a productive workhorse, with at least 265 carries, 1,000 yards and seven TDs in both seasons.

The wheels came off in 2015, however, as the 224-pounder recorded personal worsts in carries (202), rushing yards (751), yards per attempt (3.7) and scores (one). Despite his statistical drop-off last season, which coincided with the arrival of 2015 third-rounder Matt Jones, it’s worth mentioning that Morris played his fourth consecutive 16-game season.

According to Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link), Morris received some interest from the Broncos before they brought back C.J. Anderson. However, with Denver presumably out of the mix, Morris will make his first visit with the Cowboys, who re-signed Lance Dunbar on Thursday. Darren McFadden is currently projected to be the top back on Dallas’ depth chart.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Rumors: Weddle, Raiders, Patriots

March 7th, 2016 at 9:43am CST by Luke Adams

Here’s a roundup of the very latest free agent rumors from around the NFL:

Reiterating that he wants to sign with a team capable of contending for the Super Bowl, free agent safety Eric Weddle tells Peter King of TheMMQB.com that he thinks he has another three to five years left in him. According to King, Weddle spoke fondly of the Patriots, Panthers, Raiders, and Steelers, suggesting those teams could be fits for him.
Within King’s piece, the MMQB.com scribe notes that rival executives around the NFL expect the Raiders, Jaguars, and Falcons to be among the most active teams in free agency this week.
“Buzz is building” for running back Bilal Powell, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who writes that the free agent Jet should land a respectable contract this week. Florio notes that all three of the Jets’ division rivals – the Dolphins, Patriots, and Bills – make sense as potential suitors for Powell.
Washington running back Alfred Morris took to Instagram with a message that appears to be a farewell to the organization. Morris will be a free agent this week. The tailback rushed for 4,713 yards in his four seasons with Washington. This past season, he split duties with rookie Matt Jones and was not a key part of the team’s offense.
The Colts have former Patriots tight end Scott Chandler in for a visit today, Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets.

Alfred Morris Likely To Test Free Agency

March 4th, 2016 at 6:41pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Pending free agent running back Alfred Morris has had discussions with Washington about a new contract, but the club hasn’t made an offer and the 27-year-old is expected to reach the open market next week as a result, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link).

Morris, a sixth-round pick in the 2012 draft, burst on the scene during a rookie year in which he amassed the third-most carries in the NFL (335) and finished second in both rushing yards (1,613) and touchdowns (13). Morris declined the next two years, though he was still a productive workhorse (265-plus carries, 1,000 or more yards and at least seven TDs in both years). The wheels came off last season, however, as the 224-pounder recorded personal worsts in carries (202), rushing yards (751), yards per attempt (3.7) and scores (one). Despite his statistical drop-off in 2015, it’s worth mentioning that Morris played his fourth consecutive 16-game season.

As is the case with all other free agents-to-be, Morris can start negotiating with other teams Monday, and he’s allowed to sign with one of them as early Wednesday. Morris will likely be, at best, the fourth-ranked available running back in a class that could also feature Doug Martin, Lamar Miller, Matt Forte and Chris Ivory. Ronnie Hillman, Bilal Powell, LeGarrette Blount and Arian Foster are some of the other backs looking for new deals.

Even though Morris is sure to garner interest from around the league, he isn’t a lock to leave Washington, as team president Bruce Allen alluded to last month.

“If he gets a great contract, we’re going to applaud him. If not, we’ll see what happens with us,” Allen said.

Washington tied for the third-worst team YPC in the league last season (3.7), so it’s probably going to have to address its backfield in some fashion. That could mean re-signing Morris, adding one of the other backs mentioned above, or going the draft route. The club used a third-round pick last year on Matt Jones, but the rookie averaged a paltry 3.4 yards per carry on 144 attempts and had ball security issues (four fumbles).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Morris, Coughlin

March 3rd, 2016 at 4:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Having signed Sam Bradford to a two-year contract extension, the Eagles don’t necessarily plan to put the quarterback position on the back-burner for the rest of the offseason. Head coach Doug Pederson acknowledged today that he and the Eagles will look into drafting a signal-caller, though he added it would probably be later in the draft, rather than with the No. 13 overall pick (Twitter links via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer).

Here’s more from around the NFC East:

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman on whether the offensive line will be a priority for the club this offseason: “It’s a priority today. It’s a priority tomorrow. It’s a priority next week. It’s a priority in April” (Twitter link via Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer). It sounds like that’s a yes.
Admitting that he doesn’t know what to expect as his first opportunity at free agency approaches, running back Alfred Morris says he’d be open to returning to Washington, but will have “no hard feelings” if the team doesn’t bring him back. Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com has the details and the quotes from Morris.
Former Giants head coach Tom Coughlin is sending an odd message by hanging around the team’s facility and using the gym twice a week, writes Gary Myers of the New York Daily News. Myers hear that Coughlin’s “hard feelings for the Giants came through loud and clear” during his head coaching interview with the Eagles in January, and adds that it’s time for the veteran coach to move on.
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will undergo surgery on his collarbone next week, sources tell David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. Romo is believed to have made his decision on what kind of procedure he’ll have, but it’s yet known which direction he’s going.

East Notes: Murray, Morris, Bills, Dolphins

February 4th, 2016 at 3:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com wrote earlier today that the Eagles and DeMarco Murray are headed toward a “stare-down” this offseason, but even though that may be the case, the running back likely isn’t going anywhere, says Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com. Rapoport’s report suggested that the Eagles hanging onto Murray is the most likely outcome, and Kempski goes into a little more detail explaining why that’s the case, despite the fact that it might not be the preferred outcome for both sides.

If Murray is released or traded at some point this year, it sounds like we can count Dez Bryant among those who would like to see the ex-Cowboy return to Dallas. “Come on home D.Moe,” Bryant wrote this afternoon in a tweet directed to Murray, Jason Witten, and Tony Romo.

Washington general manager Bruce Allen appears prepared to let Alfred Morris depart as a free agent this winter, as Liz Clarke of the Washington Post writes. “Free agency is going to be a great test for him,” Allen said of Morris, during an appearance on ESPN 980. “If he gets a great contract, we’re going to applaud him. If not, we’ll see what happens with us.”
The Bills don’t have a ton of cap flexibility this offseason, and are expected to simply focus on re-signing their own free agents rather than bringing in outside veterans. If the team needs to free up a little space though, it could potentially do so by extending the contract of cornerback Stephon Gilmore, lowering his $11.082MM cap number and ensuring that a talented player at a premium position remains in the fold. Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News explores the possibility – and the importance – of a Gilmore extension.
Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman didn’t draw any head coaching interest this offseason, but veteran tight end Vernon Davis, who played under Roman in San Francisco, believes his former OC will make a “great head coach one day,” as Dunne writes in a separate Buffalo News piece.
With 2015 first-rounder DeVante Parker waiting in the wings to take Rishard Matthews‘ spot in the Dolphins‘ lineup, James Walker of ESPN.com believes it’s unlikely that the free agent receiver will re-sign with Miami, putting the odds at just 20%.

East Notes: Mincey, Morris, Wake, Jets

January 12th, 2016 at 11:56am CST by Luke Adams

After recording six sacks in his first season with the Cowboys in 2014, defensive end Jeremy Mincey failed to get to the quarterback in 2015, finishing the year without a sack. Still, Mincey was solid against the run, and thinks there’s “probably a 50-50 chance” that he’ll re-sign with Dallas as a free agent (link via Dallas Morning News).

During an appearance on KDFW-TV Channel 4 in Dallas, Mincey was also asked about Greg Hardy‘s impact on the Cowboys, and whether it would be difficult for the team to bring Hardy back and have a cohesive locker room.

“Yeah, it will be,” Mincey said. “I think it will be good for the younger guys, which I don’t know how they feel about him personally, I mean I haven’t spoken to them or asked. It would be me or him, you see what I’m saying? It would be either-or. It’s hard to have two type of line mentality guys in one room, so it’s tough to figure out who the younger guys are going to follow. Of course they’re going to look up to a guy who’s a prolific player. But I just understand the game, and I know what it takes to win.”

Here’s more from around the NFL’s East divisions:

With rookie running back Matt Jones cutting into Alfred Morris‘ workload this season, it’s not clear if Morris is a part of Washington‘s long-term plans. According to John Keim of ESPN.com though, the free-agent-to-be hopes not to go anywhere. “When I first came into the league, no matter what team I went to, I just wanted to do my whole career with the same team,” Morris said. “That’s still my goal. I would love to return, but a lot goes into that. I haven’t thought about that. You all keep bringing it up, but we’ll see what happens.”
The Dolphins will face a very difficult decision on defensive end Cameron Wake this offseason, writes James Walker of ESPN.com. Wake, who is on the books for $9.8MM in 2016, is confident he can return “better than ever” from a torn Achilles, but the club will likely have to make a call on the 34-year-old’s $8.4MM salary before he’s back to full health.
The Jets hosted a pair of players for workouts, taking a look at offensive lineman Lamar Holmes and CFL defensive lineman Freddie Bishop, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Holmes, a former third-round pick, started 19 games at tackle for the Falcons in 2013 and 2014, while Bishop has played for the Calgary Stampeders since ’13.

East Notes: Hatcher, Eagles, Edelman, Gase

January 10th, 2016 at 9:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is the latest coming out of the Eastern divisions as the eight remaining teams begin full preparations for their divisional-round matchups.

After Washington‘s wild-card loss to the Packers, Jason Hatcher will consider retirement, Mike Jones of the Washington Post tweets. The 33-year-old defensive end had a postgame conversation with GM Scot McCloughan, and Rich Tandler of CSNMidAtlantic.com notes Washington may have to convince him to return next season. “I’ve been thinking lately about this being my last year, you know, retiring,” Hatcher told media. “One thing I’ve got to pray about. [McCloughan] said he wanted me around. I’m not going to hold them up on my decision. I’m going to make it pretty quick.” Hatcher just completed the second season of a four-year, $27.5MM contract. He’s set to occupy an $8.73MM cap number in 2016.
Now a free agent, Alfred Morris was noncommittal about a Washington return, John Keim of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). “When I first came into the league, no matter what team I went to … I just wanted to do my whole career with the same team. That’s still my goal. I would love to return, but a lot goes into that. I haven’t thought about that,” Morris told media. Coming off by far his worst season as a pro, Morris enters free agency in a class with Matt Forte, Lamar Miller, Chris Ivory and probably Marshawn Lynch. A former sixth-round draft pick, Morris averaged a career-low 3.7 yards per carry and would likely not command a high salary despite being set for his age-27 season come training camp.
Ryan Mathews recently underwent groin surgery, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). First listed with the malady on the Eagles‘ injury report in Week 6, Mathews played 13 games this season. He finished with a career-best 5.0 yards per carry, although the 107 totes represented Mathews’ lowest number in a season in which he played at least 12 games.
The Eagles’ new coaching search resembles safer, Andy Reid-type candidates than Chip Kelly-esque innovators, Les Bowen of Philly.com writes. Adam Gase did not receive an offer from the Eagles, and Doug Pederson, someone who Bowen doesn’t think would have captured the Eagles’ attention in 2013, entered the process as Jeffery Lurie‘s favorite among non-head coaches. Pederson reportedly interviewed with the Eagles for 4 1/2 hours from Kansas City.
Cleared to play in the Patriots‘ sixth straight divisional playoff game, Julian Edelman will do so with a steel plate in his left shoe in an attempt to prevent re-fracturing his foot, WHDH’s Joe Amorosino reports (via WEEI.com). Edelman missed the Pats’ final seven regular-season games after breaking a bone in his foot Nov. 15.
Gase’s innovative offensive methods notwithstanding, sources tell SI.com’s Don Banks the 37-year-old coach’s intellectual approach may struggle from a leadership perspective, considering the kind of year the Dolphins just had and the fact that the mild-mannered Joe Philbin didn’t exactly win over the team.