The Chicago Bears will have a lot of big decisions to make this off-season. One of them is linebacker, Nicholas Morrow. Morrow signed a one-year deal for $2.5M this offseason, then went on to play every game this season. So, should the team re-sign him?
Chicago Bears should sign Nicholas Morrow
Nicholas Morrow did not only start every game, he played 99.82% of the snaps on defense this season. He missed a snap for an equipment issue or he would have played every snap. Not only would he have been the only Chicago Bears player to do this, but the second most snaps on the team was Jaquan Brisker, at 87.8%. So, he played 131 more snaps than anyone else on defense.
Morrow let Roquan Smith wear the green dot to start the season, then took it over when Smith left. Then, they let Jack Sanborn try the green dot. When he got injured it went back to Morrow.
This is what you want in your linebacker. He is reliable and can play both the MIKE and WILL positions. Morrow is still just 28 years old, so there is a promise that he can keep growing in this defense.
The defense already has so many holes. Letting Morrow just adds another hole to the mix. The team should see how Morrow looks behind a better defensive line before they just let him leave.
Chicago Bears should pass on Nicholas Morrow
Morrow already missed the entire 2021 season with an injury, so while he washed that with playing an entire season in 2022, there are still long-term concerns. The other reality is that Morrow was excellent in run defense, but was not as strong in coverage.
Some of his coverage stats look good, but that is mainly because teams were targeting other options. Still, when he was targeted he was not getting stops.
The issue with this is that Jack Sanborn is a great run defender, but still has issues in coverage. Can they run it back with two questionable coverage backers?
Morrow played for under $3M this season, but now Over the Cap sees him getting closer to $8M. When he is not a perfect fit with Sanborn, it is more questionable at that rate.
The Chicago Bears should look to find another version of Morrow. That is a player who they can sign for $3M, then watch grow into a player worth $8M. In this case, they should sell out and look more at a linebacker who can play in coverage, trusting that Sanborn is the box linebacker. Morrow was a pretty good signing all things considered, but the team should look at a cheaper option and hit on a cheap compliment to Sanborn.