Tag: Cory Littleton

7 Linebacker additions to help with Cowboys with the home stretch

The Cowboys could use some linebacker help heading into the playoffs. Here’s a look at who is available. | From @ArmyChiefW3

The debate was settled when Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons effectively told everyone that he would be crowding the line of scrimmage, instead of the Twitter-induced idea of playing off-the-ball linebacker. Parsons leads or is near the top in almost every statistical category yet the knee-jerk reaction to switching positions set the world on fire after a poor run-defense game against Buffalo.

With Parsons cemented as a pass rusher, it still doesn’t solve the Cowboys issue at their thinning linebacker group. The return of Cowboys defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins from a high ankle sprain would certainly help but he didn’t suit up against Miami and is questionable a week later for the tilt against Detroit.

Dallas entered the season light at the position and made some head-scratching moves that placed them in the spot they are in now. To supplement the lack of depth, the Cowboys utilized safeties to help stabilize their issues. While it may be easy for some to just say “go get a guy,” the guys available may come with issues of their own.

Cory Littleton goes back to the Texans a week after signing with the Saints

Cory Littleton is going back to the Texans just a week after signing with the Saints. They may need more depth at linebacker on the practice squad:

Well that didn’t last long. The Houston Texans announced Wednesday that they have brought back linebacker Cory Littleton — who signed with the New Orleans Saints practice squad just a week ago after being let go by Houston.

Littleton was activated by the Saints for Sunday’s win over the Chicago Bears, in which he played 15 snaps on special teams working with the punt and kickoff teams. But he could have a better opportunity in Houston. The Texans are signing him to their 53-man roster.

So the Saints will need to look for more linebacker depth after losing Jaylon Smith (to the Raiders) and his initial replacement, Littleton. They still have Anfernee Orji on the practice squad with Demario Davis, Pete Werner, Zack Baun, Nephi Sewell, D’Marco Jackson, and Ty Summers on the active roster, though Summers missed last week’s game due to injury.

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Saints elevate newly-signed LB Cory Littleton for Week 9 vs. Bears

The Saints are already bringing up newly-signed linebacker Cory Littleton from the practice squad for their Week 9 game vs. Bears:

Well this is a little surprising. The New Orleans Saints are already bringing up newly-signed linebacker Cory Littleton from the practice squad for their Week 9 game with the Chicago Bears; it’s the first of three game-day elevations they can exercise before he’ll have to be signed to the 53-man roster.

And Littleton just signed with the Saints this week, replacing Jaylon Smith on the practice squad. Smith had left for a better opportunity to play with the Las Vegas Raiders after watching the first eight Saints games from the sidelines. So what gives? Why is Littleton dressing out in his first week after Smith was kept on the bench?

The answer lies in the kicking game. Over the summer Saints head coach Dennis Allen said that Smith would have to play special teams in order to get on the field with Demario Davis and Pete Werner on top of the depth chart, but that’s not something Smith has done much of. The middle linebacker logged just 31 snaps in the kicking game last season and he’s totaled 312 special teams snaps in his seven-year NFL career, limited to the field goal block unit and occasional looks on the punt returns squad; he didn’t play special teams in college at Notre Dame, either.

Now compare that to Littleton, who has logged 1,732 snaps on special teams in the NFL — an average of 247 snaps per year. He’s already played 104 snaps on special teams covering punts and kickoffs with the Houston Texans this season. With one of the Saints’ top special teamers out for this game (linebacker Ty Summers, dealing with a concussion and hamstring injury) they needed more help in the kicking game. So that opened the door for Littleton to immediately contribute. Let’s see how he performs in this opportunity on Sunday afternoon.

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Saints replace Jaylon Smith with former Texans LB Cory Littleton

The Saints replaced Jaylon Smith with former Rams and Raiders linebacker Cory Littleton, who most recently played for the Texans:

That didn’t take long. The New Orleans Saints filled the vacancy on their practice squad left in Jaylon Smith’s departure by signing former Pro Bowl linebacker Cory Littleton, maintaining depth in the linebackers corps. Littleton’s arrival was first reported by KPRC2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson.

Littleton rose to prominence with the Los Angeles Rams from 2016 to 2019 (earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition in 2018) before signing a lucrative free agent contract with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020; but he didn’t meet his previous heights and was released in 2022, where he landed with the Carolina Panthers. Littleton was most recently playing for the Houston Texans.

Dennis Allen likes to keep a lot of linebackers. In addition to Littleton, the practice squad also carries Ryan Connelly and Anfernee Orji, who are backing up the six-man group on the active roster: starters Demario Davis and Pete Werner plus strong side linebacker Zack Baun and reserves Nephi Sewell, D’Marco Jackson, and Ty Summers, each of whom play a lot of snaps on special teams.

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Texans activate DT Hassan Ridgeway from injured reserve

The Houston Texans have added to their defensive line depth with the activation of Hassan Ridgeway from injured reserve.

The Houston Texans have added to their defensive line depth with the activation of one of DeMeco Ryans’ former San Francisco 49ers.

The Texans announced they have activated defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway from injured reserve.

Ridgeway played 15 defensive snaps and two special teams snaps in the Week 1 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Before going on injured reserve, Ridgeway amassed two combined tackles.

Houston also declared their lone practice squad elevation for Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers. Cornerback D’Angelo Ross will be on the active roster Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time at Bank of America Stadium.

The Texans also released linebacker Cory Littleton, who the club signed back earlier in the week.

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5 recently cut players the Jaguars should consider adding

The Jaguars won’t pick through the waiver wire like previous years, but these five players could still catch their eye.

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ initial 53-man roster was set Tuesday, but there are also more than 1,000 new free agents for the team to parse through.

In previous seasons, the Jaguars have picked through the waiver wire to snag new talent. This year, the team doesn’t have many holes to fill.

It seems highly unlikely that Jacksonville would consider adding any receivers or running backs, and there are really only a few spots where a newcomer could have much of a chance at earning a place. And even if the Jaguars do like a player, they’re buried in the waiver wire order.

Still, Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke’s job is never really over and these five players who just hit the market could catch his eye:

Panthers’ LB corps placed in middle of PFF rankings

According to PFF, the middle of the Panthers defense is pretty much as mid as it gets.

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The middle of the Carolina Panthers defense is, well, mid—at least according to Pro Football Focus.

Site contributor Dalton Wasserman recently ranked the NFL’s 32 linebacking corps. Carolina’s bunch, headed by Shaq Thompson and Frankie Luvu, come in at No. 16.

Wasserman writes:

The Panthers’ linebacking corps is a Jekyll-and-Hyde situation. On the one hand, they posted the third-best run-defense grade in football and finished the regular season with a league-best 159 defensive stops. On the other, their 53.0 coverage grade ranked 22nd in the NFL, and they allowed the second-most touchdowns (8) into their coverage in the regular season.

Starters Shaq Thompson and Frankie Luvu return, so things don’t figure to change much. They both put up elite 90.0-plus run-defense grades, bested only by Bobby Wagner. Luvu also offers value as an edge rusher, with his 23 pressures and seven sacks both top-five marks at the position.

The problem is that these two combined to give up over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns into their coverage last season. Cory Littleton was the best cover man in Carolina’s unit, and he left in free agency.

Thompson and Luvu are good players, but there isn’t anyone on the Panthers’ roster who profiles as a good coverage linebacker. That caps the ceiling on this unit’s potential.

That part of the field will, however, look a bit different in 2023.

For one, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero will be employing a 3-4 base defense—giving the unit a fresh look on its front. So not only will the Panthers have pass rushers coming off the edge of their linebacking corps, but they’ll also look to get a little creative with a few other intriguing pieces.

The most intriguing should be safety Jeremy Chinn, whose role isn’t exactly defined just yet. His versatility, though, should allow for Evero and his staff to patch up those coverage issues from the middle of the field and use the talented fourth-year defender as a chess piece of sorts.

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Report: Texans sign former Rams, Raiders, Panthers LB Cory Littleton

The Houston Texans signed former Los Angeles Rams, Las Vegas Raiders, and Carolina Panthers LB Cory Littleton as a one-year contract.

The Houston Texans continue to bolster their linebacking corps.

Along with the signing of Denzel Perryman, and with Christian Harris, Garret Wallow, Christian Kirksey on the roster, the Texans signed Cory Littleton to a one-year contract.

According to Aaron Wilson from KPRC-TV, the Texans signed the former Los Angeles Rams, Las Vegas Raiders, and Carolina Panthers linebacker to a one-year deal worth $2.4 million.

Littleton has a $600,000 signing bonus with a $1.3 million salary, and can earn $29,411 per game day activation.

The former 2018 Pro Bowler collected 47 combined tackles, a tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, a half-sack, and two pass breakups through 15 games, seven of which he started for the Panthers last season.

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Former Panthers LB Cory Littleton agrees to terms with Texans

As first reported by Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston, former Panthers LB Cory Littleton is headed to the Texans on a one-year deal.

The Carolina Panthers’ search for some help in the middle of their defense will go on without Cory Littleton.

As first reported by Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston on Tuesday morning, Littleton has agreed to terms on a one-year, $2.7 million deal with the Houston Texans. The contract will pay the 29-year-old linebacker a base value of $2.2 million with a $1.3 million salary and $500,000 in incentives.

Littleton joined the Panthers on a very similar pact almost a year to the day. Carolina inked the 6-foot-3, 228-pounder to a one-year, $2.6 million deal back on March 20, 2022.

A former Pro Bowler and Second-team All-Pro member with the Los Angeles Rams, Littleton played in 15 games—with seven starts—for the Panthers this past season. He, in his seventh pro campaign, amassed 47 combined tackles (one for a loss), half a sack, two quarterback hits and two passes defensed.

On Monday, general manager Scott Fitterer mentioned the team may be looking to add an inside linebacker for their new 3-4 base defense. Even prior to the release of fellow backer Damien Wilson and, now, the loss of Littleton, the Panthers were notably thin at the position last season.

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Panthers without Xavier Woods, Cory Littleton in Week 14 vs. Seahawks

The Panthers won’t have S Xavier Woods and LB Cory Littleton this afternoon against the Seahawks.

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On Friday, Carolina Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks said he expected every player on Week 14’s final injury report, particularly those marked as “questionable,” to be a go against the Seattle Seahawks. Well, maybe we have to expect the unexpected.

Starting safety Xavier Woods and starting linebacker Cory Littleton, two of the four players in question, have been ruled inactive for this afternoon. Joining them on the sideline—as healthy scratches—will be offensive lineman Larnel Coleman, wide receiver Rashard Higgins and defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon.

Littleton missed the Week 12 victory over the Denver Broncos due to his ankle issue. Woods, who will be down for his second outing of the 2022 season, exited the same contest early on after sustaining a knee injury.

Here’s who will be inactive for Seattle:

  • CB Artie Burns
  • CB Justin Coleman
  • OT Jake Curhan
  • RB DeeJay Dallas
  • DE Shelby Harris
  • WR Penny Hart
  • RB Kenneth Walker III

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