Washington Redskins RB Alfred Morris improved as a receiver
By Mike Dyce
The Washington Redskins hit a home run in the draft last year. Not only did they get quarterback Robert Griffin III, but they got running back Alfred Morris in the 6th round who burst onto the scene with 1,613 yards rushing as a rookie.
Morris only caught 11 passes for 77 yards last season, but head coach Mike Shanahan says he has worked on that in an effort to round out his game.
“A lot of people come out of college and they just don’t spend the time on catching the ball,” Shanahan said, via the team’s website. “He has spent a lot of time in the offseason catching the football, running routes and you can see that hard work has paid off because he’s a lot more natural,” Shanahan said. “It gives you another dimension.”
That will help keep Morris on the field in certain situations and on third downs.
“[Morris] has always been a blocker – he’s got that strength – but he does have a different type of gear and he does have excellent hands. You just couldn’t see it right away because he didn’t work on it,” Shanahan explained. “There have been a lot of backs in the past that have been in colleges that really don’t throw the football a lot. They emphasize the running game and Alfred was one of those types of guys.
“He’s elevated his game and he will be able to catch the ball and be a lot more instrumental in our passing game.”