Over the last decade, the linebacker position has been the team’s biggest weakness. They just haven’t been able to find consistent play as they have cycled through aging veterans at the position.
But in the offseason, the Raiders finally invested in the position, signing big-ticket free agents Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski. Both players are projected to start and should be major upgrades compared to who the Raiders are accustomed to playing.
In a recent article by Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus, the Raiders currently have the No. 6 linebacker corps entering the 2020 season. Take a look at what the site had to say about the Raiders’ unit entering the year:
Littleton is a modern-day linebacker who can match up with running backs and make plays on the ball in zone coverage. His 90.3 coverage grade is fifth-best in the league over the past three years. The question for Littleton is in the run game, where he’s graded at only 48.9 over that three-year span, but that hasn’t hurt his standing as one of the league’s most valuable linebackers.
Kwiatkoski is the opposite of Littleton — he loves to get dirty in the run game and can get after the quarterback as a blitzer, evidenced by his 81.8 pass-rush grade last season. Kwiatkoski is not as dynamic as Littleton in coverage, but he plays his role well and broke up three passes on just 34 targets a year ago. Nicholas Morrow rounds out the depth chart, yet has never graded above 53.5 in his three seasons in the league.
The best attribute that both Littleton and Kwiatkoski bring to the Raiders’ defense is speed. That is something the team has lacked at the linebacker position for years. Both can fly to the football and excel in coverage. That alone should produce a major impact for the Raiders’ defense this season.
