Potentially relevant news for the Green Bay Packers down the road: The Las Vegas Raiders are releasing linebacker Cory Littleton, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
Littleton, a coveted free agent in 2020, lasted only two years with the Raiders. But he’s still only 28 years old and could be an ideal backup option if the Packers can’t re-sign first-team All-Pro linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, who will be an unrestricted free agent in six days.
The connections here are obvious but important. Littleton played his final three seasons in Los Angeles under Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry, who was the Rams linebackers coach from 2017-20.
Littleton thrived under Barry, producing a breakout season as a full-time player in 2018 before cementing his status as a top free agent with a superb year in 2019. He received strong grades as a tackler and in coverage and finished as the No. 6 linebacker in overall grade at Pro Football Focus during the 2019 season.
The Packers were reportedly interested in Littleton during free agency in 2020. We highlighted Littleton as an ideal free agent option, but the Packers couldn’t compete with the Raiders’ lucrative, multi-year offer.
Littleton struggled through two disappointing seasons with the Raiders, but this could work in two helpful ways for the Packers – first, to reduce his price on the open market, and second, to fuel his desire to get back in a defensive system like Barry’s.
During the 2021 season, Campbell spoke frequently about how Barry and the Packers scheme finally helped unleash him as a player, allowing the veteran linebacker to maximize his athletic skill set in a variety of ways.
Could Littleton go down a similar path in Green Bay in 2022?
The potential extends past the defense, too. Littleton, once a special teams ace in Los Angeles, played overall 300 special teams snaps for Rich Bisaccia with the Raiders. Bisaccia was hired to coach special teams in Green Bay last month. He’ll know a bunch about Littleton.
The Packers would almost certainly prefer to retain Campbell, who had a terrific first season in Green Bay. He re-energized his entire career while serving as the playcaller and leader in the middle of Barry’s defense.
But if the money in the market pushes him out of Green Bay, and it certainly could, Little would represent a strong secondary option.
Connections are so important in the NFL, and the ties between Littleton and Barry are obvious. If the Packers still like his skill set in Barry’s defense, Little could become the next reclamation project at inside linebacker in Green Bay.
