Las Vegas Raiders cornerback group named ‘one to watch’
By Brad Weiss
Raiders Off-the-ball linebackers also shown love
Another area the team focused on improving this offseason was at linebacker, and they did so in a big way via free agency. Cory Littleton was one of the crown defensive jewels of this year’s free agent class, and like Mayock did with Lamarcus Joyner in the 2019 free agency period, he plucked one of the Los Angeles Rams best defensive players.
In addition, the Raiders also brought in Nick Kwiatkoski from the Chicago Bears, a guy who is also just entering his prime. Kwiatkoski is going to wear the green dot this season, serving as the on-field captain of the Raiders defense, and is coming off a season that really saw him flourish in coverage.
That is the key to this whole thing, coverage, as the Raiders defense has struggled mightily at the linebacker position in doing just that recently.
As Clay points out in the article, Kwitakoski and Littleton combined for over 200 tackles last season, and they also got to the quarterback 6.5 times. In the 2020 NFL Draft, the Raiders also added Tanner Muse to the mix, and he is a hybrid player that is going to be moved around due to his ability to play all over the field.
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To have two of the Raiders position groups on the defensive side of the ball mentioned in the article is a testament to how well the team has revamped the defense in recent years. There is going to be high expectations on defensive coordinator Paul Guenther to get it done this season, because if he doesn’t, Rod Marinelli is waiting in the wings.