Speaking to the media ahead of the 2020 NFL combine, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider discussed the injury-shortened rookie season that defensive end L.J. Collier – the team’s first round pick in 2019 – had last year.
Collier suffered an unusual ankle injury early in training camp last summer, which cost him the entire preseason as well as a portion of the regular season. By the time he was healthy, he was so far behind developmentally that he rarely had any impact in game situations, often getting placed on the inactive list, despite a clean bill of health.
Even though his performance was disappointing, Schneider was just happy they were able to see Collier on the field at all in 2019.
“We were lucky that we had him,” Schneider said. “We thought we were going to lose him for the season that day. We’re lucky that we didn’t have to place him on IR. Obviously we’d have liked to have seen him make a little bit more of a dent, but his checkout meeting was awesome, he’s really excited about next year and what that brings.”
With one of the worst pass rushes in the league last year, the Seahawks have plenty of work to do to improve in that area in 2020. A second-year leap from Collier would go a long way toward improving that unit as a whole, especially with the added versatility he brings to the table.
“He’s a powerful rusher,” Schneider continued. “He’s got great hands, he can rush inside he can rush outside. Rush at the five, rush at the three. We’re excited.”
With Quinton Jefferson, Jadeveon Clowney, Jarran Reed and Al Woods all set to hit free agency, the Seahawks have a lot of holes to fill on the defensive front. Collier will almost certainly get a chance to play regularly next year – and his development will be a key story for this Seattle defense.
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