The San Francisco 49ers are signing running back Alfred Morris, who will meet the team in Houston on Tuesday as the team prepares for its exhibition game on Saturday against the Texans. The signing will become official once he passes a physical, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Monday.
"I'm assuming everything will go alright and, hopefully, we'll get him in practice for us out in Houston," Shanahan said.
The 49ers entered Monday's practice without their top two running backs. The team's projected starter, Jerick McKinnon, sustained a calf strain during Sunday's practice while his primary backup, Matt Breida, suffered a shoulder injury during Thursday night's game against the Dallas Cowboys.
"I just told [Morris] I waited so long to invite him because I wouldn't invite him unless I believed he had a chance to make the team," Shanahan said. "And I do believe he has a chance to make the team here, and that's all Alf wants. He wants a chance to compete. I think with some of these injuries that we've had, now he does have a chance to compete.
"He's getting here late, but we'll see how he does over these next few weeks. If he's running the same way he always has, he'll have a chance."
49ers running back Joe Williams also did not practice on Sunday or Monday. He is on the East Coast for the funeral of his brother-in-law and will meet the team in Houston for practices this week.
The Washington Redskins made Morris a sixth-round draft pick in 2012. Shanahan was the offensive coordinator in Washington at the time. Morris spent the last two seasons with the Cowboys and served as the starting running back in 2017 while Ezekiel Elliott served a six-game suspension. Morris finished the season with 115 carries for 547 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown, and seven receptions for 45 yards.
"Alf did a great job for us for the two years I was with him," Shanahan said. "It's not flashy, but he runs extremely hard. He's very reliable ... He's a hard-nosed runner who you can keep handing the ball off to who is very reliable."
Morris, a two-time Pro Bowl selection (2013, 2014), registered 5,503 rushing yards on 1,262 carries with 32 touchdowns in six NFL seasons while adding 57 receptions for 421 yards. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first three NFL seasons.
