Snap Counts Week 14: Marquel Lee knocks Morrow out of starting role

With Marquel Lee back in the fold after a long awaited return from injured reserve, the Raiders wasted no time inserting him into the starting lineup over Nicholas Morrow.

Facing the brutish Derrick Henry, the Raiders ran more 4-3-4 base coverage than 4-2-5, and they needed all hands on deck at the linebacker position, playing Lee on 53 percent of snaps, Morrow on 42 percent of snaps, Preston Brown on 27 percent of snaps and Will Compton 26 percent of the time. Tahir Whitehead, on the other hand, never left the field.

That change to bigger defensive personnel allowed Lamarcus Joyner to be on the field at his nickel corner position just 47 percent of the time.

Brandon Parker played 100 percent of the snaps, not getting benched like many fans predicted. Although he had a handful of bad snaps, Parker played better than expected while taking over for Trent Brown at the right tackle spot.

With Brown nursing a pectoral injury, our Evan Groat theorized that the Raiders should shut him down for the rest of the season to ensure that he’s healthy for next year. After all, the Raiders playoff hopes sit at an infinitesimal 1 percent after per Football Outsiders after losing to the Titans.

D.J. Swearinger’s role at safety has continued to grow in recent weeks, bumping up to 82 percent of snaps on Sunday. He has proven worthy of re-signing this offseason as a depth piece to play the third safety role behind Johnathan Abram and Erik Harris if he’s amenable to a role off the bench.