The Dallas Cowboys have had a relatively quiet start to the 2016 NFL league year, which, considering the failure associated with many of their big free agent splashes of late, may actually be a very good thing. But beyond re-signing a couple of their own pieces like Rolando McClain and Morris Claiborne, adding a defensive tackle from an NFC East foe and plucking a restricted free agent from the Raiders, the Cowboys have been about as quiet as, well, Cowboys Stadium after an opposing team touchdown thus far this offseason.
That though, changed on Tuesday. And it changed in a pretty important way.
The Cowboys reportedly came to terms with former Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris on a two-year deal. Morris, though he's still just 27, isn't the kind of exhilarating talent that's going to provide highlight reel plays or leave announcers breathless. But he is the perfect durable, one cut and go back that DeMarco Murray was and that the Cowboys need in order to power their offensive machine.
Morris fell out of favor in Washington with the arrival of head coach Jay Gruden and the West Coast offense. With the selection of Matt Jones in the 2015 NFL Draft, Morris was relegated to a kind of in-name-only starting gig last year wherein he'd be the first one onto the field for a drive, but would be replaced after only a snap or two.
Sidenote: frustrated Morris fantasy owners will be plenty happy to see him headed to big "D." His value is way up, assuming of course the Cowboys don't try to do the same thing that Redskins did and shoehorn Morris into a full-blown committee situation with Darren McFadden.
Morris is the kind of back who really gets going as the game wears on. Feed him, as Washington did during his rookie season in 2012, and Morris can roll you up big yardage as he and the Cowboys offensive line batter away at a defensive front simply not equipped to handle the size and talent Dallas brings to the table. In that illustrious rookie season, Morris racked up 1,613 yards and 13 touchdowns on 335 carries.
It's a lot of totes to be sure, but Morris' spotless injury history can attest to his ability to handle the load. And with his running style perfectly suited to the Cowboys' offensive system, there's no question that his addition is the best free agent move any team in the NFC East has made to this point.
Sure, the Eagles adding safety Rodney McLeod to pair with Malcolm Jenkins was smart and gives them a backend pairing Eagles fans haven't seen since Brian Dawkins and Michael Lewis. Ditto the addition of mammoth guard Brandon Brooks. Too often last year fans in Philly watched as Chip Kelly's mediocre guard pairing of Matt Tobin and Allen Barbre were overpowered and outmaneuvered by more talented interior defensive linemen.
The Skin re-signing Junior Galette was a must and nabbing a guy like former Denver Broncos safety David Bruton, who brings the Super Bowl pedigree, for a secondary that now includes Cary Williams and Will Blackmon, gives Washington some talented pieces to work with as well as draft breathing room.
Really, the only team in the NFC East who could have a rightful claim to the free agent crown would be the Giants, who of course backed up the Brinks truck and unloaded bag after bag of cash straight into the hands of Olivier Vernon, Janoris Jenkins and even Jason Pierre-Paul. But even for all the money spent, the Giants can't touch the Cowboys here.
Why? Precisely because they overpaid for quick fixes.
The Cowboys added a steady, productive threat at a position of need without breaking the bank. Giants GM Jerry Reese, clearly in desperation mode, tried to save his job by purchasing the most expensive bandaids on the market.
Sure, maybe Jenkins will figure out how to stop being lazy at the end of games, maybe Vernon won't quit after finally landing his big pay day, and maybe JPP will re-acquire his once-dominant form. Maybe all three will combine to vault the Giants back up the statistical ladder after they put together the worst pass defense in the league in 2015.
But there are questions. A lot of them. And no such questions for the Cowboys.
Morris isn't a sexy signing and few will give it the due it rightly deserves, but for a Cowboys team that has, like the Giants this offseason and the Eagles not all that long ago, too often tried to go for the big add or the splashy signing, Morris is the embodiment of the franchise's changing mindset and an understanding that you can't buy elite production, you can only add quality pieces and put them in position to perform.
Morris will do that. And the Cowboys will be rewarded for it.
This is the Alfred Morris we knew. His regular pregame ritual was to come out talk with and pray with FedEx workers. pic.twitter.com/DdRaabHnF9
— Greg Johnson (@GJohnson1067) March 22, 2016
And for Cowboys fans worried that this means the team won't select a back in the 2016 NFL Draft - don't. Morris' deal is short-term and Dallas will have nine opportunities come April to add youth to the position.
