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Eagles Begin Restocking Linebacker Cupboard, Sign Nicholas Morrow
There is no way to clone humans, yet, at least that we know of, so making more than one Nakobe Dean is not possible.
It’s already been quite an offseason for last year’s third-round pick after the linebacker cupboard was left bare by the exits of starters T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White in free agency.
The Eagles began restocking the position by agreeing to Nicholas Morrow on a one-year deal, per a league source, on Tuesday morning.
Morrow started all 17 games with Chicago Bears last year and recorded 116 tackles, 11 for loss.
Perhaps he caught the Eagles’ eye when the two teams played in Week 15 and Morrow led all tacklers that day with 11, including one for loss.
Though a bit undersized at 6-0, 225, Morrow started 29 games for the Las Vegas Raiders over four seasons after they signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Greenville University, a private Division III school in Illinois, in 2017.
It’s a signing akin to the one the Eagles made at safety on Monday, when they agreed to terms with safety Justin Evans, as they attempt to restock the safety cupboard after losing starters Marcs Epps and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson at that position.
Morrow and Evans add depth, but whether they can become starters, or even make the team out of training camp, remains to be seen.
Whatever happens, the Eagles’ approach at linebacker mirrors previous attempts at the position when they signed such free agents as Corey Nelson, Paul Worrilow, and Eric Wilson, among others, to one-year deals only to have them not work out.
The numbers on Morrow, despite his breakout season with the Bears, aren’t overwhelming, at least according to Pro Football Focus.
PFF had him ranked No. 64 of 81 off-ball linebackers this past season and 74th out of 85 in run support. He is, however, supposed to be better in coverage.
Just as a source said on Monday that the Eagles aren’t done adding at safety, even after signing Evans, the expectation is they are far from done adding at linebacker.
Dean cannot be cloned, after all.
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Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglestoday.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
