Nicholas Morrow (born July 10, 1995) is an American football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL).[1] He played college football at Greenville.[2]
.JPG) Morrow in the 2017 NFL season | |||||||||||||
| No. 52 – Buffalo Bills | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | July 10, 1995 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Huntsville (Huntsville, Alabama) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Greenville (2013–2016) | ||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2017 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
College
Morrow attended Greenville University in Greenville, Illinois.
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+3⁄8 in (1.84 m) | 216 lb (98 kg) | 32 in (0.81 m) | 9+1⁄8 in (0.23 m) | 4.52 s | 1.66 s | 2.63 s | 4.45 s | 7.08 s | 37 in (0.94 m) | 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) | 23 reps | |
| All values from Northwestern's Pro Day[3] | ||||||||||||
Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders
2017
On May 4, 2017, the Oakland Raiders signed Morrow to a three-year, $1.67 million contract that included a signing bonus of $7,500.[4][5] Morrow became the first Greenville player to sign an NFL contract.
He entered training camp as a linebacker and performed well enough to compete for a job as a starting linebacker against Marquel Lee and Tyrell Adams.[6] Head coach Jack Del Rio named Morrow the primary backup weakside linebacker, behind Cory James, to begin the regular season.[7]
He made his professional regular season debut during the Raiders' season-opener at the Tennessee Titans and made one solo tackle as they won 26–16. On October 15, 2017, Morrow earned his first career start at middle linebacker against the San Diego Chargers after Marquel Lee sustained an ankle injury the previous week.[8] Morrow completed their 17–16 loss to the Chargers with five combined tackles (three solo) and one pass deflection. On December 3, 2017, Morrow earned his third start of the season and collected a season-high nine combined tackles (three solo) during a 24–17 win against the New York Giants. He completed his rookie campaign with a total of 60 combined tackles (40 solo) and four pass deflections in 16 games and five starts.[9] On December 31, 2017, the Oakland Raiders officially announced their decision to fire head coach Jack Del Rio after they finished the 2017 NFL season with a 6–10 record.
2018
Throughout training camp, Morrow competed to be the starting weakside linebacker against Emmanuel Lamur and Marquel Lee after the departure of Cory James. Head coach Jon Gruden named Morrow the backup strongside linebacker, behind Tahir Whitehead, to begin the regular season.[10]
On November 25, 2018, Morrow earned his first start of the season and made four solo tackles and had his first career sack during the Raiders' 34–17 loss at the Baltimore Ravens. He sacked Ravens' quarterback Lamar Jackson for a four-yard loss in the first quarter.[11] The following week, Morrow collected a season-high seven solo tackles during a 40–33 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13. Morrow finished the 2018 NFL season with 43 combined tackles (30 solo), three pass deflections, one sack, and a forced fumble in 16 games and five starts.[12]
2019
Morrow entered training camp as a backup outside linebacker after the Raiders signed free agents Vontaze Burfict and Brandon Marshall. He competed against Marquel Lee and Jason Cabinda to be the primary backup.[13] Head coach John Gruden named Morrow the backup weak side linebacker to begin the season, behind Marquel Lee.
In Week 5, Morrow earned his first start of the season, replacing an injured Marquel Lee, and recorded four solo tackles, deflected a pass, and made his first career interception as the Raiders defeated the Chicago Bears 24–21. Morrow intercepted a pass attempt by quarterback Chase Daniel, that was intended for wide receiver Allen Robinson, and returned it for an 11-yard gain in the first quarter.[14] Morrow remained the starter for eight consecutive games (Weeks 5–13), but was demoted for the last four games to backup after the Raiders signed Will Compton. On November 24, 2019, Morrow collected a season-high ten combined tackles (five solo) during a 34–3 loss at the New York Jets in Week 12. Morrow finished the 2019 NFL season with 67 combined tackles (49 solo), four pass deflections, and one interception in 16 games and eight starts.[15]
2020
On March 18, 2020, the Las Vegas Raiders announced their decision to place a second round tender on Morrow.[16] On April 13, 2020, the Raiders signed Morrow to a one-year, $3.259 million contract.[17]
In Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football, Morrow led the team with 7 tackles and recorded his first interception of the season off a pass thrown by Drew Brees during the 34–24 win.[18] In Week 10 against the Denver Broncos, Morrow recorded his first sack of the season on Drew Lock during the 37–12 win.[19] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Raiders on December 24, 2020,[20] and activated on December 29.[21] In Week 17 against the Denver Broncos, Morrow recorded a season high 11 tackles and sacked Drew Lock once during the 32–31 win.[22]
2021
On March 19, 2021, Morrow re-signed with the Raiders on a one-year contract.[23] He was placed on injured reserve on September 2, 2021.[24]
Chicago Bears
On March 16, 2022, Morrow signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Bears.[25]
Philadelphia Eagles
On March 21, 2023, Morrow signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.[26] He was released on August 29, 2023 and later re-signed to the practice squad.[27][28] He was promoted to the active roster on September 12, 2023.[29]
Buffalo Bills
On March 14, 2024, Morrow signed a one-year contract with the Buffalo Bills.[30]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Solo | Ast | Sck | SFTY | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | |||
| 2017 | OAK | 16 | 5 | 60 | 40 | 20 | 0.0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | OAK | 16 | 5 | 43 | 30 | 13 | 1.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019 | OAK | 16 | 8 | 73 | 53 | 20 | 0.0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020 | LV | 14 | 11 | 78 | 62 | 16 | 3.0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2021 | LV | 0 | 0 | Did not play due to injury | |||||||||||||
| 2022 | CHI | 17 | 17 | 116 | 83 | 33 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2023 | PHI | 15 | 12 | 95 | 66 | 29 | 3.0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Career | 94 | 58 | 465 | 334 | 131 | 7.0 | 0 | 27 | 3 | 22 | 7.3 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||
Postseason
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Solo | Ast | Sck | SFTY | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | ||
| 2023 | PHI | 1 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 1 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |