Eagles surprisingly release veteran LB

Positioned as a prospective starter going into training camp, Nicholas Morrow will not land on the Eagles’ 53-man roster. The Eagles are releasing the veteran linebacker, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

The Eagles made multiple moves at linebacker during camp, signing Zach Cunningham and Myles Jack. The latter ended up retiring, ending a short stint, while Cunningham is on track to play a role for Philly this season.

Opting to allocate resources elsewhere this offseason, the Eagles let T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White walk in free agency. That opened up most of the Birds’ linebacker snaps. Nakobe Dean, a 2022 third-round pick, is on track to be Philly’s centerpiece at the position this season. The Eagles used the Georgia standout as a backup last year. But some questions exist about how the Eagles will line up on their defensive second level.

Morrow, 28, made the successful climb from Division III to the NFL. He worked as a Raiders regular, starting 29 games with the team, before a season-nullifying injury ended his run with the AFC West team. The Bears gave Morrow a bounce-back opportunity, and he finished with career-high numbers in tackles (116) and TFLs (11). Of course, Chicago did not exactly deploy a reliable defense last season. Next to no market formed for Morrow this offseason. He signed a one-year, $1.16M deal to join the Eagles, who did not include any guarantees in the low-cost accord.

Cunningham has made 76 starts and would make for a logical Dean running mate. The Titans made Cunningham a cap casualty in February. Christian Elliss resides as another linebacker piece for the Eagles, though the former UDFA has appeared in only seven games for the team in two seasons.