Redskins sign QB Stephen Morris to reserve/future contract

The Washington Redskins are continuing to add players to their roster. The latest is quarterback Stephen Morris, who signed a reserve/future contract on Tuesday.

During the final stages of the 2017 preseason, the Washington Redskins made a surprising move. They elected to release third string quarterback Nate Sudfeld in order to keep players at other positions on the active roster. Sudfeld was expected to be the team’s developmental backup and was to serve as a potential insurance policy in case Kirk Cousins leaves. Instead, he was jettisoned, but he has actually looked good playing for the Eagles in Week 17.

Because of the absence of Sudfeld, the team needs to find a young quarterback with potential. Stephen Morris would fit the bill. Though he’s not as talented as Sudfeld, Morris, a former University of Miami quarterback, has some upside. He was strong armed player in college, and he did well in terms of his downfield passing ability. The major concern surrounding him was his accuracy. In college, his career completion percentage was a mere 57.7 percent. This is what led him to be an undrafted free agent in 2014.

Since coming into the league, Morris has bounced around to a few different teams. He spent time on the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad, the Philadelphia Eagles, where he spent three weeks on the active roster and additional time on the practice squad, and the Indianapolis Colts. He spent only a week on the active roster in Indy.

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Despite the lack of staying power Morris has shown in the past three years, it’s clear that he has upside. His preseason performance has been great in the past two seasons, and he has combined to complete 65.8 percent of his passes for 930 yards, five touchdowns, and an interception. Additionally, his yards per attempt was 7.95, which is a solid number. He has gradually improved his accuracy, and if that sample size can translate to a full game, it’s possible that he could be a solid backup.

Morris has a strong arm, and while he’s undersized and has accuracy issues, it’s possible that he could succeed in the right system. Perhaps Kevin O’Connell will be able to work with him this offseason and get him to look like a decent backup. If not, the Redskins are risking little by bringing him in.

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Of all the reserve/future contracts that the Redskins have signed thus far, Morris is probably the most interesting. He’s never going to be an NFL starter, but he still has upside as a No. 2 signal caller. He gives the team a bit of young upside to go with Colt McCoy. It’s not likely that he will be long for the active roster, but it’s still a decent move to make this early in the offseason.

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