Cory Littleton has been a starter at linebacker for the Raiders the past two seasons. He has started in every game in which he’s appeared…until Monday.
For the first time since Littleton signed a free-agent contract with the Raiders in the 2020 offseason, he didn’t start. Not only did he not get the start, but he also played just five snaps.
Meanwhile, rookie Divine Deablo started his second game alongside veteran KJ Wright who played every snap with Denzel Perryman again out with an ankle injury.
It’s possible the Raiders were just using this combination for this game expecting a run-heavy attack and Littleton is a weakside linebacker. But it’s also an indication the Raiders are liking what they see from Deablo and are getting him snaps with big plans for him.
#Raiders snap counts Offense, Defense, Special Teams: pic.twitter.com/CzuQgSoFIW
— Levi Damien (@LeviDamien) December 21, 2021
Also worth noting is Malcolm Koonce didn’t play a single snap in the game. Another sign the Raiders were focusing on stopping the run as Clelin Ferrell and Carl Nassib are better options in that area.
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