Houston Texans defensive coordinator Lovie Smith wants to see what Maliek Collins can do in his Tampa 2 scheme.
The former Dallas Cowboy and Las Vegas Raider defensive tackle has impressed Smith thus far in training camp, and he would like to see how much further Collins can go.
“We’re very pleased with what Maliek has done,” Smith said. “We brought him here to do that, though. I mean he’s a good football player. He’s our profile for our under tackle, three-technique. A guy with size, he’s a 300-pounder with loose hips, he’s athletic, he can rush the passer. Those situations of one-on-one, to me, it can be a good defense if you get one of your three-technique one-on-one with the guard.”
Collins had a down season with the Raiders in 2020, his lone year with the AFC West club. The former Cowboys 2016 fourth-round pick collected eight combined tackles and a quarterback hit through 12 games, 11 of which he started. It was hardly what Las Vegas hoped to get with Collins having produced 84 combined tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 40 quarterback hits, 14.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and five fumble recoveries through 61 games, 55 of which he started.
Smith is confident in Collins’ ability to win one-on-one matchups inside.
Said Smith: “Maliek’s going to win most of those, and that’s a pretty good defense for us. Pleased with what he’s done in practice. I can’t wait to get him some game work.”
Collins may get a chance to win a few one-on-one battles against his former teammates on Saturday night. If not, Collins can go against the interior offensive line for the world champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Aug. 28 at NRG Stadium.