New Eagles linebacker Nicholas Morrow has carried his underdog mindset from D-III to the NFL

New Eagles linebacker Nicholas Morrow’s NFL journey is atypical.

After he paid his own way to play at Division III Greenville University in rural Illinois, 50 miles east of St. Louis, Morrow arrived in the league as an undrafted free agent, signed by the Raiders in 2017.

During his first four years with the Raiders, he appeared as a rotational linebacker — his season-high in defensive snaps was 728 in 2019. He then missed the entire 2021 season with a foot injury.

» READ MORE: Eagles sign free agent linebacker Nicholas Morrow, formerly of the Bears

Finally healthy again this past season, Morrow was on the field for every single one of the Chicago Bears’ defensive snaps (1,086). In turn, Morrow led the Bears in tackles with 116 and was second with 11 tackles for loss. It was the first time in over six seasons that he started in every game. He’s hoping to repeat that feat and more with the Eagles.

“I think I showed I’m someone who’s durable; I proved I can last an entire season,” Morrow said Wednesday afternoon during his introductory news conference at the NovaCare Complex. “I’m excited to be here. The culture, the tradition. The things the [Eagles] did last year, making it to the Super Bowl, we competed against them — they’re a tough team.”

After former linebackers T.J. Edwards (Bears) and Kyzir White (Arizona Cardinals) departed in free agency, Morrow, who turns 28 in July, will have an opportunity to earn a starting role for a new-look Eagles defense led by coordinator Sean Desai and linebackers coach D.J. Eliot.

Exact personnel is still in flux. General manager Howie Roseman continues to assemble next season’s roster, and the Eagles possess six picks, including two first-rounders, in next month’s NFL draft. Second-year linebacker Nakobe Dean also will have an opportunity to take on a larger role, while interior linebackers Shaun Bradley, Christian Elliss, and Davion Taylor remain on the depth chart. The group is widely considered young and inexperienced. However, Morrow, at minimum, provides some stability and veteran leadership to the defense’s middle level.

“I’m a versatile player,” the 6-foot, 225-pound Morrow said. “I’ve played MIKE, I’ve played WILL, I’ve played SAM. I’ve played in a 4-3, I’ve played in match defenses, man defenses — I’ve kind of played it all. I’m here to play football and defense. The biggest thing for me is competing snap to snap.”

Morrow is one of a select group of players to progress from a DIII to the NFL and continues to use that underdog mindset in his daily approach. (In Dec. 2021, the NCAA counted Morrow as one of just six active NFL players who played at a DIII school). . While he was on injured reserve for the entire 2021 season, Morrow leaned on his wife, Megan, and remembered the effort he exuded while playing at Greenville.

“In DIII, there’s no scholarship,” Morrow said. “You’re paying to play. There’s not that many people watching you play. There’s not that many incentives. So you just play for the straight love of the game. You’re working because you want to play next to your brothers and because you want to compete.

“ ... I’ve learned patience. It was really hard to watch. I learned a lot. Being with [former Raiders and current Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator] Gus Bradley, you just learn football character and the importance of running to the ball because their system was set up so much around vision and break.”

Morrow said he’s looking forward to working with the Eagles, who pulled out a comeback 25-20 victory over his former team on Dec. 18 in Chicago. During that contest, quarterback Jalen Hurts injured his throwing shoulder early, but he remained in the game and helped deliver clutch moments. Morrow said preparing for Hurts and the offensive line were the Bears’ top priorities.

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“The O-line, D-line — they’re really, really good,” Morrow said. “They did a good job of mixing in the quarterback run game and throwing the ball. Obviously good receivers with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Dallas Goedert didn’t play that game, but we understood coming into the game that it starts up front. Those guys set up their pass blocking and also in the run game. The biggest thing was trying to understand when the quarterback run would happen because [Hurts] is so dynamic as a runner and also as a passer.

“ ... Free agency is always unique no matter what year you’re in. I’m excited to be here, to be able to come and be part of an organization like this.”