Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Cory Littleton has come a long way since his humble beginnings as an undrafted free agent back in 2016.
The former Washington product made his bones on special teams with the Los Angeles Rams and it was not long before his versatile skill set would be put on display in the linebacker corps. His emergence into a bonafide playmaker in Los Angeles made him one of the most coveted free-agent signings this offseason.
What was once an area of weakness for the Raiders has now become one of their biggest strengths with the pairing of Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski on the inside. Despite the hype this group has generated going into the 2020 NFL season, Littleton’s experiences have taught him not to take anything for granted.
The trials and tribulations finally paid off for Littleton with a three-year, $36 million contract this offseason. His time with the Rams taught him that every play counts, via Kyle Martin of the team’s official website:
“My thing is always ‘find your value,'” Littleton said Sunday. “My start was playing special teams, that’s where my value was. I ended up making some plays out there and I noticed throughout the years that those plays change games completely and change the whole turn out and got us wins. That’s still a part of the game to this day.”
Littleton added that he was happy to receive his lucrative payday from a team like the Raiders:
“It was a great feeling,” Littleton recalled. “Something that you work for every day when you come out on the field. Me coming to the Raiders, I just really wanted to continue my career and the Raiders seemed like a good fit for myself and they were open to me coming in and I’m just happy they made the decision to bring me in.”
Las Vegas certainly had good reason to go after Littleton given their notable voids at linebacker. He emerged as one of the most coveted free agents on the market after racking up 315 tackles, six interceptions, 26 passes defenses, 8.5 sacks and two forced fumbles during his four seasons in Los Angeles.
The Raiders already have an idea of how the responsibilities will be split between the new additions to the defense. Kwiatkoski has embraced the prospect of taking on a shot-caller role on defense. This should free up Littleton to focus his attention on putting his playmaking ability to good use.
