Las Vegas Raiders: 3 Players under pressure heading into OTAs

Las Vegas Raiders: 3 Players under pressure heading into OTAs

Cory Littleton

Cory Littleton was signed before 2020 with the belief that he would solve Las Vegas’ problems at linebacker, which is a position where they have failed to find a solid starter in nearly a decade. Unfortunately, Littleton seriously underperformed in 2020.

This was a bit of a shock, as Littleton was one of the best coverage linebackers in the league during his time with the Los Angeles Rams.

Through most of 2020, Littleton looked lost. Also, Littleton missed time due to COVID-19, which certainly didn’t help his situation. It seemed that much of Littleton’s poor play was thanks to Paul Guenther and his defensive scheme, which was notorious for being overly complicated and messy.

With new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, Littleton should be able to return to form and play with the same efficiency that he did before coming to Vegas.

Littleton will not be without competition, though. Nicholas Morrow, who had played well when filling in for Littleton during his absence, will be fighting for a starting job. Also, Las Vegas drafted the talented safety-linebacker hybrid, Divine Deablo.

Deablo, who is 6’3 and 230 pounds, possesses great size and speed that allows him to make strong tackles and drop into coverage against some of the bigger tight ends in the league. Littleton, who already has a pretty solid-sized contract, will have to find a way to impress in OTAs if he hopes to stay on the team for more than this upcoming season.