The Washington Redskins found a gem when they drafted RB Alford Morris in the sixth round in 2012. In his rookie season, he rushed for over 1,600 yards and 13 TDs with 4.8 yards per carry. In the next two seasons, he was still good but not quite the phenom he was as a rookie and his numbers showed it.
Morris had only one year left on his contract in 2015 so the team drafted Matt Jones as an understudy. And the 6’1″, 231-pound understudy displayed power between the tackles, speed to get to the edge, burst at the second level. He made his share of big plays but was inconsistent, averaging only 3.4 yards per carry and he had a fumbling problem.
Meanwhile, Morris had his struggles with 751 yards, 3.7 yards per carry and only one TD, all career lows. So when the offseason came, the Redskins allowed Morris to walk to the Dallas Cowboys. Apparently, head coach Jay Gruden so something that told him that Jones can shoulder the load.
Gruden told CSN Mid-Atlantic, “Matt played well and we’re very excited about him. “We let a heck of a running back, and a very productive running back, go because we have Matt.”
But Gruden knows he has work to do with his young pupil, saying, “We need him to protect the ball a little bit more. He’s a big, strong, powerful back that I think can handle the workload; time will tell on that. We’re taking a bit of a gamble here, but based on our professional opinion, we believe he can handle it and be very, very effective at it, toting the rock.”
Jones’ combination of size, speed and his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield makes him a potential bell-cow.
He just has to hold on to the football.