LB Cory Littleton named most surprising Raider at midpoint of 2020 season

LB Cory Littleton named most surprising Raider at midpoint of 2020 season

Over the offseason, the Raiders signed former Pro Bowl Cory Littleton to a monster deal to fix their linebacker problems. During his time with the Los Angeles Rams, he was widely viewed as one of the best overall linebackers in the NFL as he excelled in coverage. Unfortunately, the Raiders haven’t seen that type of play at all in Las Vegas.

According to Pro Football Focus, Littleton is currently one of the league’s lowest-graded linebackers as he is having major problems in all facets of the game. In a recent piece by the site, Littleton was named the most surprising player on the team due to his poor play to start the season.

Here is a snippet of their thoughts on the linebacker below:

“(Littleton) has been anything but impressive in coverage this season for Las Vegas. Littleton has allowed 388 receiving yards into his coverage in 2020, the third-most in the NFL, all while failing to record a single pass breakup or interception. The Raiders have thrown resources at trying to improve their coverage unit in recent seasons, but additions such as Littleton haven’t had the desired impact. Las Vegas ranks 27th in EPA allowed per pass play this season.”

Littleton was recently placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Raiders and will miss the team’s Week 10 game against the Denver Broncos. While they will certainly miss his athleticism on the field, the drop-off between he and the next linebacker might not be all that significant considering his level of play this year.

Hopefully, Littleton is able to return to full strength and beat COVID-19 over the next few weeks. The Raiders are optimistic that with more time in this scheme, Littleon can return to his Pro Bowl form. They need him to if they want to take the next step as a defense.

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