Bills acquire Ex-Eagles LB Who Started 12 Games Last Season
By acquiring their initial free agent signing from external sources, the Buffalo Bills are enhancing their linebacking unit with a 12-game starting player.
According to NFL expert Mike Garofolo’s announcement on March 12, the Bills have reached an agreement with Nicholas Morrow – a former linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles. The team hopes that he will strengthen their already impressive roster in 2023. Although there has been no divulgence of details regarding contract terms as yet, it is likely that Morrow will be signing a one-year deal.
After dedicating the initial day of legalized tampering to retaining some in-house talents, the Bills have augmented their team with a reputable veteran who will enhance their linebacking abilities.
Philadelphia’s success was greatly impacted by the significant contribution of Nicholas Morrow.
Jonathan Alfano from SI.com reported that although he began last season on the practice squad in Philadelphia, 28-year-old Morrow soon assumed a significant position with the Eagles. He amassed an impressive record of 95 tackles, three sacks and 12 tackles for loss while starting in twelve games.
According to Garofolo, Morrow was an experienced and reliable player for the Eagles who served as their defensive signal caller. Fans of the Bills might recognize him from his standout performance in November’s overtime game against Philadelphia where he made 12 tackles, including one tackle resulting in a loss of yardage, and defended one pass.
Undrafted by the Oakland Raiders in 2017, Morrow made his league debut and played five seasons with them. Unfortunately, he couldn’t participate due to an injury during the year 2021. However, he switched sides to play for Chicago Bears in 2022 where he had a career-best record of making all starts with as high as 116 tackles across seventeen games.
In 2023, Morrow was recognized as a highly-rated individual by Sal Maiorana from the Democrat & Chronicle.
Maiorana reported that Morrow was ranked 12th among 46 linebackers who participated in at least 300 run play snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Furthermore, in terms of coverage performance, Morrow’s grade surpassed Terrel Bernard from Buffalo and narrowly fell short of Tremaine Edmunds’ previous record as a Bill.
According to Maiorana’s prediction, Morrow is expected to be a backup in Buffalo while simultaneously playing a significant part on special teams.
According to Maiorana, Morrow appears to be a promising replacement for Tyrel Dodson as a backup linebacker for Bernard and Matt Milano. Additionally, he could contribute on special teams which is crucial if the Bills decide not to extend their contract with Tyler Matakevich – one of their essential members in that area.
The focus of the Bills is on their returning players.
As the legal tampering period began on March 11th, the Bills directed their focus inward. The team abstained from any external signings during the initial day; nonetheless, they did re-sign defensive back Cam Lewis and bring defensive end A.J. Epenesa and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones onto new contracts.
Having recorded 20 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, seven tackles for a loss and two interceptions – one of which he returned for six points – Epenesa had his best season yet. With Leonard Floyd leaving to join the San Francisco 49ers, Epenesa could potentially have an even larger role in the defensive line rotation during next season.
On offense, the Bills experienced a significant loss as wide receiver Gabe Davis signed a two-year contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
