Dallas Cowboys: The Alfred Morris signing is not Ezekiel Elliott insurance

The Dallas Cowboys signing of veteran running back Alfred Morris to a one-year deal will do little to end the holdout by starter Ezekiel Elliott.

The Dallas Cowboys kicked off their annual training camp in Oxnard, California on Saturday. But they did so without the presence of All-Pro running back Ezekiel Elliott. Despite having two years left on his rookie contract in Dallas, Elliott is wanting to rework his current deal.

As a result, the two-time NFL rushing leader is holding out of camp until presumably a new financial agreement is reached. And according to a recent tweet by 105.3 The Fan’s Kevin Turner, Elliott is actually heading out of the country to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in order to train alone.

In wake of this news, the Cowboys have agreed to sign a familiar face. It was reported Monday night that Dallas will add veteran running back Alfred Morris to their roster. The 30-year-old Morris spent two years with the Cowboys during the 2016-2017 seasons. He spent last year as a member of the San Francisco 49ers.

The addition of Morris will not spur Elliott to end his holdout anytime soon. The signing is more likely an attempt by the Dallas ‘ coaching staff to add more experience to a running backs room that has a total of six regular-season carries between them.

The current running back depth chart currently at training camp consists of Darius Jackson, Jordan Chunn, and two rookies in Tony Pollard and Mike Weber. Of the four, only Jackson has seen regular-season action, that was extremely limited. Morris is a seven-year veteran who has started in a total of 70 games in the NFL. He’s also considered to be a quality individual and excellent teammate who should bring a positive presence to the Cowboys’ locker room

A sixth-round selection out of Florida Atlantic, Morris posted three-straight 1,000+ rushing yard seasons during his first three years with the Washington Redskins, starting in every single contest he ever played for them.

Morris would join the Cowboys as a backup in 2016, playing behind Elliott, who was then just a rookie. After Zeke was hit with a six-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy the following season, Alfred started five games in his absence, winning three.

During his time in Dallas, Morris rushed for a total of 790 yards and three touchdowns in two seasons. He averaged 4.3 yards per carry during that span. Last year, Morris started in only one game for the Niners. In the final game of their regular season, he rushed for 111 yards on 16 carries and a score against the Los Angeles Rams.

Although the signing of Alfred Morris certainly adds experience to a very inexperienced running back group, no one should believe the 30-year-old veteran runner is any sort of replacement or insurance policy for a missing Ezekiel Elliott.