To open last season, the Rams starting inside linebackers were Cory Littleton and Bryce Hager. Now both are members of the Raiders. Littleton had been the team’s top free agent addition of the offseason and Friday, the team signed Hager as well.
A former seventh-round pick out of Baylor in 2015, Hager appeared in 69 games over the past five seasons for the Rams.
The 6-1, 237-pounder had been primarily a special teams player. But last season he was named the starter to open the season and remained the starter for the first four games. He appeared in a total of five games and prior to Week 11 was placed on injured reserve. It was the first time in five seasons, Hager had missed even a single game, appearing in all 16 games each of his first four seasons.
It’s unlikely Hager is in the mix for the starting middle linebacker spot with the Raiders as that’s Nick Kwiatkowki’s job. I do wonder though how much Littleton vouching for Hager contributed to the two of them reuniting in Las Vegas.