LB Nicholas Morrow: Back-to-the-Roots Linebacker

LB Nicholas Morrow started in place of Cory Littleton on Sunday. Morrow showed why he is a valuable asset for the Raiders.

This past Sunday, a few underdog players stood out as stand-out players for the Las Vegas Raiders.

In this new mini-series, I’ll be highlighting three underdog players that played last week and how they could turn out to be one of the keys to a successful post-season run for the Raiders.

Today, we’re talking about linebacker Nicholas Morrow.

LB Nicholas Morrow: Back-to-the-Roots Linebacker

At the beginning of this season, fourth-year Raider linebacker Nicholas Morrow was ousted at linebacker by two new incomers -- Nick Kwiatkoski and Cory Littleton.

While Kwiatkoski would deliver on the field when he was healthy, contributing 44 tackles, 31 of them being solo tackles, one forced fumble and one interception in seven games played, Littleton's total tackles numbers in nine games were not what the Raiders expected.

Littleton missed last Sunday's game after he was placed on the COVID-19/Reserve list.

In comes Morrow, who was effectively demoted to a backup this season, and had played in the linebacker position only when Kwiatkoski would be out due to injury.

In eight games, Morrow has 36 total tackles, 30 of them being solo. He also booked his first sack and forced fumble this season against the Denver Broncos.

“He’s the same Nicholas Morrow he was last year, he’s just a really good player," Head Coach Jon Gruen said. "But I think at this point in his career, I think his experience in the system shows. I think his confidence in himself is showing, and I thought he cut it loose today and really had his best game as a Raider.

"I can’t wait to see him grow. He’s such a great kid and coming from a small school, it was quite a transition for him. Changing coaches, changing systems. I think he’s going to be a really good linebacker in this league for a while.”

Morrow clearly showed he still has the talent to be on the field and could end up starting alongside Kwiatkoski in the long-run, as Littleton has underperformed this season.

But either way, Morrow is staying humble about himself and his teammate.

“We changed some things,” Morrow said. “If you watch the game, on third downs we had to do a little different personnels and tweak some of the calls. Cory [Littleton] is such a versatile player, it gives us a lot of flexibility on third down. We did little things to placate that he wasn’t in the game.”

The best players in the NFL understand that when personnel changes, so does play-calling. It’s not about who’s better or worse but rather what kind of contribution each player can make to the team.

As Morrow proved on Sunday, he has the talent and capability to match Kwiatkoski’s plays on the field with the right play calls.

The Raiders need two effective linebackers in order for their defense to work.

Morrow is the solution alongside Kwiatkoski. Littleton supports as a back-up for both.

In a situation like this, the Raiders linebacking corps could become a real threat to opponents, especially as post-season rolls around.

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