The Raiders were big players in free agency this offseason, singing nearly a dozen players on both sides of the ball. It was clear that Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden wanted to upgrade their defense as most of their spending came on that side of the ball.
The biggest signing the Raiders made this offseason was bringing in Pro Bowl linebacker Cory Littleton. Littleton signed a three-year deal, but the team is able to get out of the contract after the 2021 season with no dead money. That, in itself, is already a big win for the Raiders.
In a recent article by Chris Roling of Bleacher Report, Littleton joining the Raiders was named one of the best moves of the offseason. Take a look at why Roling is so sold on the move for both parties:
Cory Littleton, one of the league’s best coverage linebackers, landed a three-year, $36 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders last month. Now, at a reasonable cost, the Raiders get an in-his-prime linebacker who has played at least 94 percent of his team’s defensive snaps in each of the last two seasons, allowed just 61 completions on 85 targets last year and received a 78.9 grade at Pro Football Focus.
Roling further discussed Littleton, calling him a “unit-changing” player for the Raiders. And given how weak the team was at that position last year, it’s hard to disagree.
It will be fascinating to see if the Raiders add any other linebackers in the top-100 to help Littleton in the middle of the field. But it’s no longer a need after the team was able to lock up one of the best coverage linebackers in the NFL this offseason.
