Two years ago in training camp, I had one of the more memorable interviews with a Raiders player. I spoke with Nicholas Morrow who was entering his third season with the team that originally signed him as an undrafted free agent. And it was one question in particular that elicited a strong response from Morrow.
The normally good-natured guy who worked his way up from small college unknown to starter by the end of each of his first two seasons, seemed a bit frustrated that his accomplishments on the field were going seemingly unrecognized.
Twice, he began the season buried on the depth chart. Twice he outplayed his fellow linebackers to earn starts and played solid football along the way, and twice the team decided to sign a veteran to put in front of him. It has happened two times since.
Despite any frustrations he may have had that he wasn’t being named a starter heading into each season, he made sure he came out of the situation better for it.
“I just got to make sure that whoever is in front of me, I got to make sure I can learn from them,” Morrow told me last March. “I had guys like Brandon Marshall in front of me, Tahir [Whitehead] was in front of me, and then before that Derrick Johnson was playing in front of me, so I had guys that were playing in front of me who had been in the league for a while and had success so I knew I could learn something from those guys.”
Last offseason it was Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski who were added. And for the fourth time in four years, by the end of the season, Morrow outplayed his fellow linebackers, leading the team in solo tackles (62) with the second-most sacks (three) behind only Maxx Crosby (seven).
This offseason Morrow tested free agency briefly and decided to stay with the Raiders. With that, for the first time, the team appears to be giving him his due.
“He might be one of my favorite players,” head coach Jon Gruden said of Morrow at the beginning of camp. “This is his time. . . [H]e’s got a chance, I think, to be a captain for us, I think he’s got a chance to be a difference-maker for us in the middle of our defense. But, time will tell. We got a long way to go, but I really like him. He’s had a great spring and I think he’s on the rise. I think his time is right now.”
I again spoke with Morrow this offseason, this time about his potential future with the Raiders under new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. Morrow noted that he was familiar with Bradley’s scheme because it was similar to the one the Raiders ran Morrow’s breakout rookie season in 2017 under Ken Norton.
Norton coached linebackers in Seattle under Gus Bradley for three years from 2010-12. Players will often say they are familiar with a scheme and can easily transition into new ones, but in the case of Morrow, it’s not just lip service. He retained what he learned in 2017 and it sounds like it’s serving him well now under Bradley.
“Really like Nick. Very sharp,” said Bradley. “Here’s a new system, here’s a guy that came into the building and we’re trying to have him bring other guys along, sitting in the meeting room, taking notes, re-writing the notes. Very important for him to take charge of the defense. And he’s in that position where he’s able to do that. So far so good with him. Really, really enjoy him, like his leadership, like his attention to detail playing that position.”
Morrow played all over the linebacking unit last season, including middle linebacker. That’s where he lined up on day one of training camp while the incumbent starting MIKE, Nick Kwiatkoski, was running with the second team.
Kwiatkoski has gotten some run with the first team since then along with Morrow, but it’s clear the Raiders have big plans for Morrow. And, honestly, it’s about time. He’s certainly earned his shot. Several times over.