The Washington Redskins signed linebacker Nico Marley from Tulane University on Tuesday afternoon. Marley (5-8, 181 pounds), is the grandson of reggae legends Bob and Rita Marley. Nico's father Rohan played for the University of Miami from 1992-1994 and then had a short stint in the Canadian Football League.
In 48 college games, Nico Marley had 319 tackles, with 48.5 of them resulting in a loss of yardage. He also recorded seven sacks, with five interceptions, and six fumble recoveries. Marley was one of 37 players that tried out for Washington's 90-man training camp roster at Redskins Park in Loudoun, Virginia this past weekend.
The #Redskins signed FA LB Nico Marley, the grandson of reggae legend Bob Marley. Tulane product is also ex-Miami LB Rohan Marley’s son.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 16, 2017
Marley a long-shot to make the team
At 5-foot-8, 191 pounds, Nico Marley is highly undersized for his position. It's highly questionable that he will stay at linebacker, and he'll likely have to shift to secondary to survive in the NFL. Nevertheless, Marley was a tackling machine at Tulane and could have the makings of a possible dime linebacker or special teams player in the future. For now, Marley should concentrate on trying to make the practice squad, as the depth chart in Washington is deep these days.
Marley will join newly drafted Ryan Anderson, Houston Bates, Zach Brown, Chris Carter, Will Compton, Mason Foster, Junior Galette, Josh Harvey-Clemons, Ryan Kerrigan, Trent Murphy, Pete Robertson, Preston Smith, Martrell Spaight, Lynden, and Trail and Zach Vigil at linebacker on the Redskins' roster.
To say things are crowded at linebacker would be a huge understatement at this point.
Redskins now have full 90-man roster
After the flurry of roster moves the Redskins made yesterday, the team had one open roster spot that needed to be filled as they get ready for the upcoming dates on the NFL calendar, including training camp, which is just around the corner.
It's not uncommon for NFL franchises to shift players at or near the bottom of their depth chart in the weeks that follow the draft as they look to add more undrafted free agents who they feel may develop with some time on the practice squad.
Sometimes those practice squad guys become starters when injuries strike in mass quantities.
Just a couple of seasons ago the Redskins brought in a 6-foot-2 receiver from the University of Florida even though Washington was loaded at that position on the roster. By the end of the season, Quinton Dunbar was on the field playing cornerback, a position he hadn't played since high school. While not all situations work that way in the NFL, it's a known fact that undrafted free agents make up over 45 percent of all NFL rosters.
