Who should get more and less playing time for the Oakland Raiders
By Matt Holder
Linebackers
Fewer Reps: Nicholas Morrow
At the beginning of the season, I had hope that the college safety could solve the linebackers’ coverage woes. However, with a completion percentage of 70.9 percent and a quarterback rating of 95.6 when targeted, that does not seem to be the case. Unfortunately, defending the pass is supposed to be Morrow’s strength and he has regressed with the increase in playing time after Burfict’s suspension.
It looks like limiting the division three product’s playing time is already in the works. In the last couple of weeks, he has played about as many reps on special teams as he has on defense, 38 and 47 snaps respectively. Morrow has had plenty of opportunities to prove himself and hasn’t been able to make the most of them, so it might be time to move on and test the other linebackers on the roster.
More Reps: Will Compton
It’s kind of cheating to list Compton as a guy who deserves more playing time because he played every defensive snap on Sunday. But that’s the beauty of being the author, I get to make the rules!
The mid-season acquisition made the most of his opportunity last week as he led the team in tackles with nine. At 30-years old, the veteran isn’t the long-term answer for the organization but certainly has the potential to be a difference-maker on Oakland/Las Vegas’ defense during the next few seasons. Compton could be a decent stop-gap at linebacker and continuing to increase his time on the field is the best way to evaluate his potential for that role.