Running back Alfred Morris joined his new San Francisco 49ers teammates in Houston on Tuesday and got to work on Wednesday during the team's first joint practice with the Texans. He doesn't see himself as just another camp body. Morris is expected to compete for a roster spot, and that's exactly what he was looking for in a new team.
Morris has experience within Kyle Shanahan's system. The 49ers head coach was the offensive coordinator in Washington when the Redskins drafted the running back in 2012.
"I am familiar with the offense," Morris told reporters after his first practice with the 49ers. "I've been groomed in it my first two years. There's a lot of differences now but, overall, there's a lot of similarities and just kind of getting back into that and learning these things.
"It's going to be a process, but after the first day, I think it went really well. I'm getting the opportunities to kind of get in there and get my feet wet. That's good because I need to get my legs back under me because only football gets you ready for football, no matter how much you train."
Shanahan knows that Morris will not be able to just jump in and look like he's been part of the 49ers' system all offseason. He'll receive the time he needs to prove himself.
"He is going to be rusty with that stuff, but he'll get the hang of it, get his tracks consistent and run hard," Shanahan said of Morris on Monday.
The 49ers and Morris were in communications at the start of free agency in March, but the two parties didn't have significant discussions since. Injuries to the team's top two running backs, Jerick McKinnon and Matt Breida, escalated the decision to sign Morris to a one-year deal.
The 49ers, however, weren't the first team to show interest in the former Washington and Dallas running back.
"I actually worked out with the Jets," Morris said. "Didn't come to terms, so I kind of walked away. I had a couple of other teams reach out to me in OTAs, and I didn't think the opportunity was there, so I turned them down. I said, 'No thank you.'
"I was just waiting for an opportunity, and Kyle called and was like, 'There's an opportunity. We'll give you an opportunity to play, to showcase what you can do.' And I was like, 'Alright.' That's all I can ask for."
Morris acknowledges that he doesn't exactly fit the mold of the other running backs on the roster but also believes he can complement the players already in place.
"They've got a lot of talent here," he said. "These guys, they know the system, they know it well. I am a different type of runner, a different type of build than the rest of the guys. I think I will be a complement to whatever they want to do."
Morris doesn't necessarily see himself as just a power back. Morris said his mindset is to refuse to let one person tackle him. Lowering his shoulder and running through defenders is just a way to earn respect and open up other possibilities while carrying the football.
"After that, guys think twice about attacking like they do and then you just have opportunities to go around them, give them a move and go around them," Morris said. "That's just kind of how I play the game. I play the game within the game. To me, it works. It makes it (look) like I'm a power guy, but I am a little more than just that."
Morris will continue to practice with the 49ers this week and will likely see playing time during Saturday's exhibition game at NRG Stadium against the Texans. The teams' second joint practice is scheduled for Thursday morning at 9:15 a.m. CT (7:15 a.m. PT).