The Eagles linebacker corps suffered a serious blow on Sunday afternoon when Nakobe Dean tore his knee’s patellar tendon, terminating his season and raising questions about whether he would be available when the 2025 season began. The Eagles are bringing back a familiar figure to aid in their current playoff run, as they must replace him in the starting lineup and deal with the injury’s knock-on effects.
The Eagles placed Dean on injured reserve and added linebacker Nicholas Morrow to the practice squad, as first reported by Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. The Eagles added wide receiver Parris Campbell to the active roster to fill a roster void. Last season, Morrow participated in 15 Eagles games, starting 12 of them. In the end, he recorded two fumble recoveries, five pass breakups, a forced fumble, twelve tackles for loss, and 95 tackles.
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Morrow eventually signed with the Buffalo Bills for the 2024 season when the Eagles chose to upgrade the linebacker position and let him go. Morrow played 182 special teams snaps and 44 defensive snaps in 11 Bills games. Prior to being waived, he recorded three tackles.
With Jeremiah Trotter Jr. anticipated to receive more playing time in Dean’s absence and Oren Burks set to take the starting linebacker spot, the Eagles need someone to cover important special teams duties in addition to having experienced depth in case future injuries occur within the position group.
Having participated in a similar strategy under defensive coordinator Sean Desai the previous season, Morrow is a good fit for both roles. Morrows should have an easier time readjusting to the defense because Desai, who hails from the Vic Fangio coaching tree, has kept many of the Eagles defense’s ideas. Morrow is a player to keep an eye on when the team reveals its practice squad elevations on Saturday because he played 116 special teams snaps last season and helped with kickoff and punt coverage as well as return units.
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