Cory Littleton is among the Los Angeles Rams’ priority free agents this offseason, though on a slightly lower level. Not only is he a step below Ndamukong Suh and Rodger Saffold, but he’s also in a different situation.
Littleton is hitting free agency as a restricted free agent, making it far easier for the Rams to keep him. He’s not free to negotiate deals with other teams on the open market, which favors Los Angeles.
The only way the Rams can lose Littleton is if a team makes him an offer they refuse to match, which is unlikely to happen. So continuing our free agency preview, we take a look at Littleton’s situation, from his performance in 2018 to where he’ll end up this offseason.
2018 stats: 125 tackles, 9 TFL, 4 QB hits, 4.0 sacks, 3 INTs (1 TD), 13 PBU
Pro Football Focus grade: 67.9 (No. 37 LB)
Analysis
Littleton was thrust into a starting role after the Rams traded Alec Ogletree to the Giants and while he wasn’t without flaws, he did prove to be an upgrade over Ogletree. Where Littleton struggled was against the run, playing a role in the Rams defense allowing 5.1 yards per carry in the regular season – the highest rate in the NFL.
He’s on the slight side when it comes to inside linebackers, but his range allows him to roam sideline to sideline and make plays in the passing game. Littleton was 11th among linebackers this past season in coverage grade from PFF, which shows he was reliable against the pass.
Sure, he was beaten a few times by Alvin Kamara in the NFC championship game and had some trouble against other running backs out of the backfield, but very few linebackers don’t. Littleton held his own for the most part and when asked to drop back into zone coverage, he was solid.
He also performed well as a blitzer. He actually ranked third on the team in sacks with four, ahead of every primary edge rusher on the team – including Samson Ebukam and Dante Fowler Jr.
You can’t discuss Littleton’s game without talking about his special teams contributions, too. He was named a Pro Bowler on special teams with two blocked punts, giving him four in the past two seasons.
Positional need: Medium
Inside linebacker is obviously a need for the Rams, but it’s not as pressing as edge rusher or free safety. They have depth at the position with Littleton being a restricted free agent, Mark Barron under contract – albeit, overpriced – and Micah Kiser waiting in the wings as a fifth-round pick in 2018.
Bringing back Littleton is a no-brainer with him being an RFA instead of an unrestricted one. Barron might be cut for cap purposes, but Kiser could be a potential starter in his place. Littleton’s status makes this just a medium-level need.
Prediction: Signs second-round tender with Rams
The Rams are in a fortuitous situation with Littleton, who came into the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2016 and has turned into a starter. Because he only has three accrued seasons in the NFL, he’s a restricted free agent instead of being unrestricted. That allows the Rams to tender him with a first-, second or original-round tender.
If they use an original-round tender on him, it’d be worth about $2 million for 2019. However, if a team signs him to an offer sheet and the Rams don’t match, they get no compensation in return. If they use a second-round tender at $3.1 million, they’ll receive a second-round pick if they don’t match an offer sheet. The same applies for the first-round tender of $4.4 million, only with a first-rounder instead of a second.
Using an original-round tender should be out of the question just to save $1.1 million, so expect the Rams to use a second-round designation. It’s unlikely a team would be willing to give him a big contract and relinquish a second-round pick for him, making it the right decision for L.A.
The Rams could also sign him to a long-term deal, but with only one year of starting experience – at an average level, too – why rush it? Littleton will be back for one more year.