ALAMEDA -- The Raiders' linebacker corps is far from set. In fact, the team has made adjustments in the middle and on the strong side, playing with weakside mainstay Tahir Whitehead. Marquel Lee has moved outside from the middle, with Jason Cabinda and Nicholas Morrow platooning in the center spot.
None of the aforementioned players are guaranteed a role in 2019, though. The Raiders need upgrades at the position, and they're seeing what they have in the guys already there.
Morrow got tons of run Sunday against the Chiefs, who keep defenses in sub packages most of the game by playing extra receivers. Morrow struggled some last week against the Baltimore Ravens, but he played better over 65 defensive snaps against Kansas City.
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Morrow tied Whitehead with a team-high seven tackles, though he missed one. Morrow is an athletic hybrid linebacker who's fast enough to cover well, though he isn’t the prototypical thumper that used to play every down in the middle.
“We are just looking for some linebackers to step up here, be more consistent and be guys that we can hang our hat on here for the future,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said. “... We are just trying to see exactly what we have and seeing what kind of progress is being made.
“Morrow does have talent, he did make some plays yesterday. You like to have a linebacker with that skill level, that can cover backs and potentially tight ends."
Here's the Raiders snap count from Sunday:
NFL
Offense
Total offensive snaps: 76
Quarterback -- Derek Carr 76
Running back -- Doug Martin 40, Jalen Richard 32, Keith Smith 9, DeAndre Washington 6
Wide receiver -- Jordy Nelson 69, Marcell Ateman 62, Seth Roberts 59, Dwayne Harris 7, Keon Hatcher 4
Tight end -- Jared Cook 55, Lee Smith 17, Derek Carrier 14
Offensive line -- Gabe Jackson 76, Rodney Hudson 76, Brandon Parker 76, Kelechi Osemele 76, Kolton Miller 76, Clinton McDonald 3, Jon Feliciano 3
Defense
Total defensive snaps: 71
Defensive line -- PJ Hall 54, Frostee Rucker 41, Shilique Calhoun 38, Johnathan Hankins 37, Arden Key 37, Fadol Brown 24, Maurice Hurst 22, Justin Ellis 12
Linebacker -- Tahir Whitehead 71, Nick Morrow 65, Marquel Lee 6, Jason Cabinda 6, Kyle Wilber 2
Defensive back -- Marcus Gilchrist 67, Nick Nelson 65, Rashaan Melvin 53, Gareon Conley 52, Karl Joseph 52, Daryl Worley 37, Reggie Nelson 19, Erik Harris 14
Special teams
E.Harris 27, Lee 27, Wilber 23, Carrier 24, K.Smith 20, Harris 19, Calhoun 17, Morrow 15, N.Nelson 14, L.Smith 14, Gilchrist 12, Daniel Carlson 12, Washington 11, Hatcher 9, Cabinda 8, McDonald 7, Whitehead 7, Joseph 7, Worley 7, Hankins 7, Key 7, Johnny Townsend 7, Trent Sieg 7, Sharpe 5, Osemele 5, Jackson 5, Miller 5, Parker 5, Feliciano 5, Conley 5, Richard 4, Ateman 1, Melvin 1