The Raiders may have found something in rookie inside linebacker Nicholas Morrow Week 13 after his fellow LB Cory James was forced to sit due to a knee injury.

“Nick did well. He’s playing well for us,” Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said during Monday’s media availability.

“He’s a guy with a lot of speed. He’s really good with coverage on tight ends and backs. The one catch that he allowed, he was all over the guy, and he made an acrobatic catch on him. I think Nick has played really well,” Del Rio said.

Morrow finished with nine tackles (three solo) and a Pro Football Focus game grade of 71.1 while being in on 36 coverage snaps, per PFF. With the team headed to Kansas City to take on tight end Travis Kelce & Co., Del Rio would be wise to seriously consider utilizing Morrow in coverage.

James has one of the worst PFF grades (40.8) in all of football through Week 13 one year after finishing near dead last at his position according to the NFL grading site.

Though Morrow’s PFF grade of 46.5 on the season isn’t much better, his game grade and play against the New York Giants Sunday offered the type of hope at the will linebacker position that has been in short supply for Oakland.