There haven’t been too many complaints about what running back Alfred Morris has brought to the Redskins offense in his first two seasons.
Morris has run for 2,888 yards and 20 touchdowns since joining the team as a 2012 sixth-round pick, more than anyone other than Adrian Peterson during that span. Morris has had just 20 catches in his first two seasons, though, and knows that there’s room for improvement in that area heading into his third year.
“My focus is building confidence in the quarterbacks as well as the coaches to let them know I can catch. I know I can catch the ball,” Morris said, via John Keim of ESPN.com. "“I can get better. Sometimes you get that linebacker that’s real grabby and how to get away from them and set them up is something I never had much experience doing. [backup running back Roy Helu’s] one-on-one routes where he wins, sometimes I’m like, ‘How did you do that?’ I always pick brains so I can better myself.”
The presence of Helu and rookie Lache Seastrunk means that Morris will probably still be spelled by another back on obvious passing downs, but improvement as a receiver would provide the Redskins with even more options on the less obvious downs. With the increased options already provided by the arrival of DeSean Jackson and Andre Roberts, the potential for a potent and diverse offense is hard to miss in Washington.