Andrew Whitworth will be a free agent in March, but based on the way he and the Rams are talking, it seems he’ll be back for another season in 2020. A deal has yet to be worked out, but the Rams feel “pretty confident” it’ll come together.
Assuming he returns, the Rams will turn their attention to their other four starters who will become free agents next month – including Dante Fowler Jr., Michael Brockers and Cory Littleton on defense. Whitworth was on NFL Network Friday night discussing the Rams’ offseason needs, and he made it clear that they must first decide which of those defenders are coming back.
He was particularly complimentary of Littleton, who he called a Swiss army knife.
“Brockers is your run stopper, Dante Fowler can chase the quarterback and Cory Littleton, who does it all. He’s kind of your Swiss army knife on defense. He covers tight ends and backs, and he’s a tremendous tackler,” Whitworth said. “So I think you have to solidify that first before you can really focus on the draft and what positions you need to fill. You’ve got to find out who on defense is coming back to help you.”
Littleton was truly a do-it-all defender for the Rams last season. He had 134 tackles, 3.5 sacks, four fumble recoveries and two interceptions in 2019, though he still wasn’t named to the Pro Bowl.
Sean McVay said Littleton is a priority for the Rams to re-sign, and it’s easy to see why.
