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Alfred Morris 'Thankful For The Time' With Redskins

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Trent Williams remains open to the possibility of returning to the Redskins, but the pending free agent also understands its about team fit and Washington may be looking in a different direction.

Alfred Morris is entering uncharted territory.

After being selected by the Washington Redskins in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, Morris has been the team's full-time starter at running back each of the last four seasons. Now he is set to become a free agent.

Morris' role, even if he were to return to the team after a free agent deal, would be unclear moving forward as the team looks to get Rob Kelley more involved in his second year.

"I have no idea, this is my first time going through this and I don't know what to expect," Morris told ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein of free agency. "I'm going in blank, not knowing what to expect, not knowing how it's going to go. Who knows what's going to happen? I'm excited, but at the same time, I'm kind of like wary."

Morris, a Florida Atlantic product, was selected to two Pro Bowls in his first four seasons.

But even though he has proven both durable and sure-handed during that time, the 27-year-old has seen his numbers decline each season.

In 2015, Morris posted career lows in yards (751), yards per carry (3.7) and touchdowns (one).

Redskins President Bruce Allen said in January that the Redskins will not heavily pursue Morris in free agency, but didn't rule out the possibility he returns to Washington if the opportunity is presented.

"He's been incredibly productive for us and, in fact, I don't know if there's a running back over the last four years who has more yards than him," Allen said. "And if you can name them, you're only going to be able to name one or two or three guys, so he's been productive. I think free agency is going to be a great test for him, if he gets a great contract, we're going to applaud him, if not, we'll see what happens with us."

Check out images of fourth-year running back Alfred Morris during the 2015 offseason.

While Morris could potentially seek a bigger role with another team opposed to the possibility of being just one in a running-back-by-committee situation with the Redskins, head coach Jay Gruden said he's not necessarily "a longshot" to return.

"There's not one negative thing I can say about Alfred Morris as a person and as a player," Gruden said at last week's NFL Combine. "When you talk about running backs the most important things you talk about are ball security and durability. He's been durable and he's protected the football. He's been very productive.  And those are three things that are hard to say about any running back for the amount of time he's played the position. We wish him well if we don't get him done, but if we do get him done we'll welcome him back with open arms."

As it stands now, Morris is fifth in franchise history in rushing yards (4,713) and seventh all-time in rushing touchdowns (29).

He also holds the franchise record for single-season rushing yards, as he totaled 1,613 during his rookie season.

"I'm always going to be thankful for the time I had there," Morris said. "So, no hard feelings. It's a business at the end of the day and it's a possibility I will be gone. There's a possibility I could stay. Who knows? I don't know. Only time will tell."

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