Cowboys' Alfred Morris: Has shot to solidify job

Morris has a shot to solidify his roster spot in the absence of teammate Darren McFadden, who will likely miss most or all of training camp after undergoing surgery to address a fractured elbow, ESPN.com reports.

Analysis:

Morris presumably expected to push McFadden for the starting job after signing with Dallas in late March on a two-year, $3.5 million contract that has approximately $1.8 million in guarantees, including a $1 million signing bonus. While the cap-strapped Cowboys may have had some buyer's remorse once they drafted Ezekiel Elliott, it still seemed that the structure of Morris' contract all but assured the four-year veteran of a roster spot. With Elliott the presumed starter and McFadden now uncertain for Week 1, Morris will likely work with the second-team offense at the beginning of training camp, though he may have to hold off sixth-round rookie Darius Jackson, who put up elite marks in the 40-yard dash (sub-4.4), vertical jump (41 inches) and broad jump (133 inches) while checking in at 6-1, 220 pounds at his pro day. The Cowboys don't have a clear favorite for the backup work on passing downs, as Morris has just 47 career receptions and recently admitted that he's having a tough time learning the pass protections. Lance Dunbar (knee) would be an obvious choice if he were healthy, but he's still recovering from a torn ACL and MCL suffered in October.