Raiders news: Cory Littleton signing ranked among best in the NFL
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski ranked the top-25 NFL offseason moves and the Las Vegas Raiders signing of Cory Littleton was high on the list.
It should come as no surprise but the addition of Cory Littleton by the Las Vegas Raiders has been getting rave reviews across the internet. Raiders fans were hot on the trail of Littleton all throughout the 2019 season and his name was popping up consistently in the rumor mill as a top target for the Silver and Black.
In one of the first moves of free agency, the Raiders went out and got their man and signed Littleton to a three-year, $35.25 million deal to lead the defense. Bleacher Report’s NFL analyst Brent Sobleski is just as big a fan of the move as Raider Nation.
Sobleski ranked his top 25 moves of the 2020 NFL offseason and in a list that contains the Buccaneers signing Tom Brady and the Bengals drafting the best QB prospect since Andrew Luck, Littleton’s signing ranked 13th.
Here is what Sobleski had to say about the Raiders new additon:
"Littleton is the crown jewel of the organization’s free-agent class, because he gives the Raiders a leader in the middle of their defense and provides them with a true modern-day linebacker.According to Pro Football Focus, Littleton posted the second-best coverage grade among linebackers over the last two seasons.The 26-year-old will be well worth the franchise’s three-year, $35.25 million investment if he remains an every-down player and posts 125 or more tackles each season, as he did the previous two campaigns.Source: Bleacher Report"
The Raiders have searched far and wide for a dominant inside linebacker in the 21st century and have done well at times with the likes of Kirk Morrison and Nick Roach but it has been a barren run in recent years. They signed two in Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski to big money deals but the former Los Angeles Ram is by far the star of the free agent class.
After two years as a starter with the Rams, Littleton makes his way just a bit north to Las Vegas to join a defense in desperate need of a LB that can cover and match up with the talented tight ends in the AFC West. Littleton, as Sobleski mentions, is one of the best cover linebackers in the league and should help make an immediate impact there for the Raiders.
Littleton also brings with him some postseason and even Super Bowl experience and will be immediately seen as one of the leaders of the defense. He may not get the green dot on his helmet but his play and pedigree will certainly elevate him in the eyes of his teammates.
Next. Gruden on the challenges of the move to Las Vegas. dark
Cory Littleton will have some challenges ahead of him as he will need to get up to speed with Paul Guenther’s defense in this unique offseason but if he is able to replicate his play from the last two years, then it will be money well spent for the Silver and Black and the answer to many hopes and prayers across Raider Nation.