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Eagles LB Morrow Seizing Opportunity

Originally posted on FanNation Eagle Maven
By John McMullen | Last updated 10/6/23

The consensus around the NFL is that if you play well on the field, no one is going to take you off of it.

The league, however, is not a strict meritocracy despite what many believe and everything from pedigree to reputation and upside can cloud decision-making when it comes to personnel.

Enter veteran Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nicholas Morrow, who has excelled with an opportunity gained from the foot injury Nakobe Dean suffered in Week 1 against New England.

The original goal for the Eagles was to persevere before getting back to Dean, a college superstar at Georgia who was the Eagles’ third-round pick in 2022 and hand-picked starter at Mike linebacker.

Morrow exploded in Sunday’s 34-31 overtime win over Washington, nearly matching his five-year sack total (four) in 60 minutes of football with three quarterback takedowns of Sam Howell.

The sixth-year pro also matched a career-high with 11 tackles against the Commanders and forced a fumble, becoming the first Eagle ever to have 10-plus tackles, three sacks, and a FF in the same game and the first player in the NFL since James Harrison accomplished it in 2007.

Understand this franchise has been around since 1933 so any way you want to spin this, Morrow has been producing.

And it hasn’t been compiling statistics either, the film says he’s been the second-best off-ball LB in the NFL over the first four weeks, according to Pro Football Focus.

Former Eagles linebacker Seth Joyner, a two-time All-Pro who is one of the best linebackers Philadelphia has ever produced, first brought up the idea of Morrow staying on the field when Dean returns with me on the JAKIB Sport’s post-game show after the Commanders game.

My immediate reaction was to brush it off based on the belief the Eagles organization has in Dean. With more time to think the idea of Philadelphia being more open-minded almost has to be broached

“Nick has done a good job taking that coaching and really taking ownership of this role we’ve asked him to step into,” defensive coordinator Sean Desai said this week

Asked what has impressed him most about Morrow, Desai pointed toward the green dot Morrow has been wearing on game days.

“He’s communicated really well on the field and that’s a big job for the green dot guy to make sure the calls get out,” the DC said. “He’s doing a good job of that. He’s taking ownership of it. He’s being loud and he’s reacting well. He’s trusting his instincts and trusting the game plan and trusting the coaching … to make plays and take his shots when he can.”

Morrow signed a one-year deal with no guaranteed money with the Eagles in free agency after starting all 17 games with Chicago last season.

The early penciled-in plan was for Morrow to flank Dean as the weakside LB. The vet wasn’t bad in training camp but also wasn’t wowing people, prompting Howie Roseman to bring in more accomplished veterans Zach Cunningham and Myles Jack as potential upgrades.

Cunningham worked out to the point he seized the Will job and Jack retired, while Morrow didn’t even make the Eagles’ initial 53-man roster.

After quickly searching around the league for an opening, Morrow eventually returned to Philadelphia’s practice squad and promoted when Dean was forced to go on IR.

Week 5's meeting with the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday will be the last before Dean is eligible to return. Another strong game in SoCal by Morrow is a necessity if he wants to make the decision-making more difficult for the Eagles.

Dean is moving well behind the scenes and looks ready to return when eligible. The betting line is that he’s not getting Wally Pipp-ed by Morrow.

That said, Morrow has cemented his roster spot and looks like he’s more than just a steady veteran that the Eagles hoped for when they signed him in March.

This article first appeared on FanNation Eagle Maven and was syndicated with permission.

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