With injuries and suspensions hampering the Raiders linebacker group, Nicholas Morrow has shown out and proven why he belongs on the roster.
Back in training camp it was seemingly a toss-up as to whether Nicholas Morrow or Brandon Marshall would make the roster as the Raiders starting weakside linebacker. Ultimately, Marshall was cut and Morrow got the nod despite indications being that Jon Gruden and the staff preferred the veteran presence of Marshall.
Without a doubt Morrow’s ability in pass coverage was his ticket in. As the best coverage linebacker on the roster, Morrow is responsible for picking up tight ends and running backs in coverage, a tough task for many to handle.
Morrow has taken it in stride and is showing his progress on a weekly basis. With an injury to Marquel Lee and the season-long suspension to captain Vontaze Burfict, Morrow’s role has increased in the last few weeks.
Through the first five games of the season, Morrow has accumulated a pretty impressive stat line. He has 19 total tackles, 16 of which were solo and three of which were tackles for loss. He also has two passes defended, showing his prowess in coverage. In addition, Morrow recorded his first career interception last week against the Chicago Bears, picking off backup quarterback
The third-year linebacker is showing why the staff kept him over the older Marshall. Morrow is flying around the field, diagnosing plays, and coming up in big stops for an improved Raiders defense. Having proven his ability in coverage as well as in run defense, it is hard for the Raiders to take Morrow off the field.
With the defense spending a lot of time in nickel coverage, Morrow is spending more and more time on the field alongside fellow linebacker Tahir Whitehead. Looking at snap counts it is easy to see that Morrow is getting more and more opportunity. In order from Week 1 to Week 5 Morrow’s snap percentages have been: 44%, 23%, 52%, 79%, 97%.
The staff is trusting Morrow more and more as the season drags on. Part of that is caused by injuries, but Morrow is proving that he is more than capable of stepping up and answering the call. If he continues this trend, will he solidify his claim to the starting spot at weakside linebacker for the remainder of 2019 and into the future?