Rams LB Cory Littleton named top-25 free agent

Cory Littleton is one of the top free agents available this offseason, which is bad news for the Rams.

The Los Angeles Rams are facing the very real possibility of losing five starters from the 2019 season in free agency. Andrew Whitworth, Michael Brockers, Cory Littleton, Dante Fowler Jr. and Austin Blythe will all hit the market next week if the Rams don’t sign them to extensions beforehand, and all of them should have relatively strong markets.

Many fans are split on whether Littleton or Fowler is the more valuable defender to Los Angeles, both contributing in their own ways. It seems like more Rams supporters are pushing for the team to keep Littleton over Fowler, but it’s possible Littleton’s market will make it too hard for Los Angeles to re-sign him.

Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield sees Littleton as the better free agent, ranking him among the top 25 in the NFL this year. Littleton came in at No. 18.

Coming out of the University of Washington, Cory Littleton was considered an undersized prospect at the linebacker position, and as such he began his career as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Rams. He worked his way from special teams into the starting lineup, and over the past few seasons he has been a critical cog in the middle of the Rams’ defense. Over the past two seasons, his first two as a starter, he has tallied 259 total tackles, and his 134 combined tackles in 2019 was ninth-most in the league. But what might make Littleton the most attractive on the open market is what he can do against the pass. Again, take Pro Football Focus grades with a grain of salt, but according to their film study, his 90.6 coverage grade over the past two seasons ranks third in the NFL behind only Lavonte David and Luke Kuechly.

It’s difficult to project exactly how much Littleton’s next contract is going to be worth, but other teams have helped set the table for him and the Rams. The floor of Littleton’s salary is likely $13 million per year, which is just above the $12.75 million Jaylon Smith got from the Cowboys last year. More likely, Littleton will eclipse $14 million per year, putting him in the range of Myles Jack and Deion Jones, who make $14.25 million annually.

Prices in free agency are always inflated, too. None of the aforementioned players reached free agency and were signed by their original teams. If Littleton hits the market, his price is going to rise significantly, assuming he generates a lot of interest as he’s expected to.

The Rams have very little time to re-sign Littleton before the legal tampering period begins on Monday at noon ET.

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