Having started every game the past two seasons for the Los Angeles Rams, which included a Pro Bowl nod and a trip to the Super Bowl following the 2018 season, Cory Littleton’s body of work kind of speaks for itself. But it never hurts to have a former teammate vouch for you.
Lamarcus Joyner was also on that 2018 Super Bowl team. He was the Rams’ starting free safety. And when the Raiders were in the market for a linebacker, he made sure there was no doubt in the minds of Raiders coaches that Littleton was their guy.
“Me and Cory have known each other for like four seasons now,” Joyner said this week from Raiders training camp. “We had a really good relationship together in L.A. I told [Head] Coach [Jon] Gruden and [defensive coordinator] Coach Paul Guenther he was a must-get. With a defense like this where you have to trust the men next to you, I think he’s very trustworthy. He’s going to allow the layers at safety and nickel back positions to make a lot more plays trusting that he will be in position to help you out with leverage.”
Along with fellow defensive back Jeff Heath saying Littleton is “a DB in a linebacker body“, the Raiders coaches have been pleased with the man who came so highly recommended by Joyner.
“We think he can do it all,” Gruden said of Littleton. He’s been a three-down linebacker on a good team, a Super Bowl team. He’s got sideline to sideline ability. He’s got cover ability. He’s what we’re looking for, we just have to put it all together, put some time on task. Teach him our defense and get him comfortable like he was in L.A.”
That comfort level for Littleton joining a new team with a new scheme is improving these days, though with there being no offseason practices, it hasn’t been easy.
“The offseason being what it has been, it is a little intimidating at first because everything is still a learning, new process,” Littleton said Sunday from training camp. “But, inside this building, I feel like coaches have done a tremendous job making sure we’ve able to go through it multiple times where we’re able to get comfortable with the schedule they have laid out for us.”
After two days of offense vs defense, the schedule kicked up a notch today with the team in pads for the first time. Which means it’s feeling more and more like actual training camp.
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