Could the Raiders have one of the best linebacker units in 2021?
The Raiders have completely revamped their linebacker corps over the last two offseason. They signed two proven veterans in Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski in free agency. They retained Nicholas Morrow this year. And they drafted two safeties that they are converting to linebacker in Tanner Muse and Divine Deablo. In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, they ranked all 32 linebacker units heading into the 2021 season. The Raiders came in at No. 16, but that ranking is all contingent on the play of Littleton. The former Pro Bowl linebacker looked like anything but during his first season with the Raiders. Here is what the site had to say about him and the rest of the unit:  The Raiders linebacker group was supposed to be vastly improved in 2020 with the addition of Cory Littleton, who had PFF coverage grades of at least 80.0 in back-to-back years with the Rams before signing as a big-money free agent. Littletons first season in Las Vegas ended with a coverage grade of 49.7, though, leading to questions about what went so wrong. Nick Kwiatkoski was the better of the two new additions, but the Raiders need Littleton to rediscover his best play going forward.  The hope is that Gus Bradleys scheme will help unlock Littleton, who was once viewed as one of the best coverage linebackers in the NFL. If he can get back to the level of play we saw in 2018 or 2019, this team does have a chance to have one of the better linebacker groups in the NFL. Look for Littleton and Kwiatkoski to be the teams starters once again, but for Morrow, Deablo and Muse to all find roles on the defense.