A Road not Regularly Traveled Lands Nicholas Morrow with Eagles

The recently-signed FA linebacker went from small school safety to starter with the Bears

PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles lost 2,136 defensive snaps at linebacker in free agency when T.J. Edwards returned home to Chicago, and Kyzir White followed Jonathan Gannon and Nick Rallis to Arizona.

What was left at off-ball LB for Sean Desai, the new defensive coordinator replacing Gannon, and D.J. Eliot, Rallis' successor as the position coach, was a combined 82 reps in mop-up duty between Nakobe Dean (47), Christian Elliss (33), and Shaun Bradley (2).

Even with the promise of Dean, the 2021 Butkus Award winner at Georgia, a steadier presence with some experience was needed.

Enter Nicholas Morrow, the sixth-year player who signed a one-year deal with the Eagles earlier this week after starting all 17 games and playing 1,086 snaps for the Bears last season.

Once a small-school standout at safety for Greenville University, a private Division III school in Illinois, Morrow beat the odds by flashing his athleticism and work ethic to the then-Oakland Raiders.

“The thing about playing Division III football is there are no scholarships,” Morrow explained at his introductory press conference on Wednesday at the NovaCare Complex. “You’re paying to play, and there are not that many people watching you play. There are not that many incentives so you play strictly for the love of the game.

"The biggest thing is working, not necessarily because you get a big payday at the end but you’re working because you want to play next to your brothers, and you want to compete.”

Those core values are part of Morrow's DNA as a player now as he slowly developed from an undrafted longshot to a vested veteran who has 46 NFL starts under his belt.

In many ways, Morrow is the prototype for the modern NFL off-ball LB. Undersized at 6-foot and 220 pounds but speedy enough to run with backs and tight ends in coverage.

It was former Oakland DC Ken Norton Jr., a three-time Pro Bowl LB himself during his playing days, who envisioned the position as Morrow's future at the professional level and the St. Louis native got to work by studying the templates for his style, players like Lavonte David and Deion Jones.

Morrow slowly worked his way up the depth chart with the Raiders and developed into a part-time starter.

When he got to Chicago and the Bears moved on from Roquan Smith, Morrow became a three-down player, amassing 116 tackles - 11 for loss - and an interception with coverage being his strength, grading out as No. 39 of the 80 off-ball LBs ranked by Pro Football Focus in that facet.

If the Eagles had to play a game this Sunday Morrow would likely be penciled in next to Dean as the potential starter.

"I’m just comfortable just playing football and being versatile,” Morrow said when asked about his fit. “Whatever they want me to do. I’m going to do.”

Morrow, 27, laughed when it was pointed out that he is now the veteran in Eliot's LB room.

“I’m excited to be a part of the group,” Morrow said. “Regardless of age, there are always good players wherever you are because it’s the NFL. Being a part of the group and getting to know those guys, competing, and proving myself to them earn their respect.”

-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen