Tag: Maliek Collins

DT Maliek Collins explains why he chose the Texans

Veteran defensive tackle Maliek Collins provides a reason why he chose the Houston Texans in free agency.

Maliek Collins presumably could have had gone anywhere in 2021. Instead, the former Dallas Cowboy and Las Vegas Raider decided to sign with an AFC South club amid discord with its franchise quarterback and ushering in a new coaching regime.

The former 2016 fourth-round pick from Nebraska was looking for an opportunity, and the Texans presented the best chance for the 26-year-old.

“I just needed an opportunity and I thought it was a great opportunity for a team trying to build a team with a fresh start,” Collins told Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790. “And, quite honestly, I needed a fresh start, too, so it was the best place I could have picked. Of course being back in Texas is good. I still live up in Dallas, so I’m good.”

Collins, who stands at 6-2, 308 pounds, figures to be a three-technique defensive tackle in the Texans’ new scheme, a Tampa 2, the signature of defensive coordinator Lovie Smith.

In his lone season with the Raiders, Collins provided 15 combined tackles and a quarterback hit in 12 games, 11 of which he started. The production represented a down year for Collins.

“I just didn’t put out no numbers,” Collins said. “It just wasn’t a big statistical year for me. I’ll bounce back.”

With the Cowboys, Collins produced 14.5 sacks, 84 combined tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 40 quarterback hits, a forced fumble, and five fumble recoveries through 61 career games, 55 of which he started.

Houston has Ross Blacklock and Brandon Dunn that can play defensive tackle. Charles Omenihu also figures to be part of the Texans’ solutions at defensive tackle with his ability to play inside and outside.

After the Texans’ eight-week offseason program, defensive line coach Bobby King said that Collins was living up to expectations.

“He’s as advertised as a person and as a player so far,” King told reporters on June 8 on a Zoom call. “I’m excited to work with him. Yes, he does have some juice and I’m expecting some good things out of him.”

The Texans report to camp on July 27.

Houston Texans 2021 player profile: DT Maliek Collins

Maliek Collins is on his third NFL team. Can he find a new home and be productive with the Houston Texans?

Maliek Collins was once establishing himself as one of the league’s rising defensive linemen during his four-year stint with the Dallas Cowboys. He totaled 40 quarterback hits and 14.5 sacks in Dallas before a below-par season with the Raiders in 2020 resulted in the Houston Texans acquiring Collins for well below the market value.

As he enters his first season with the Texans, here’s how Collins can have a positive impact on the Texans’ defense while restoring his value around the league. 

Houston Texans 2021 free agency tracker: Everything we know

The Houston Texans are making a flurry of moves in 2021 NFL free agency. Keep up with all of the moves with this handy tracker.

The Houston Texans were very active in free agency. Although they did not have much cap space to work with, the evidence points to general manager Nick Caserio going with solid, dependable veterans to bolster the depth of the roster.

Here is a list of the Texans’ free agency moves.

Report: Texans sign former Cowboys, Raiders DT Maliek Collins

The Houston Texans have signed former Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Maliek Collins.

The Houston Texans recognize the defensive line is a problem that must be addressed, and general manager Nick Caserio is trying to get on base with a quality free agency signing.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL, the Texans have agreed to sign former Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Maliek Collins to a one-year contract worth $6 million.

With the Raiders in 2020, Collins produced 15 combined tackles and a quarterback hit in 12 games, 11 of which he started. His best work came with the Cowboys, who drafted him in the third round in 2016. The former Nebraska Cornhusker provided Dallas with 14.5 sacks, 84 combined tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 40 quarterback hits, a forced fumble, and five fumble recoveries in 61 career games, 55 of which he started.

Collins followed former Dallas defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, who was with the organization from 2013-19, out to Las Vegas where he became the defensive line coach under Jon Gruden. Marinelli, like Texans defensive coordinator Lovie Smith, uses the Tampa-2 scheme, and Collins routinely played as the three-technique defensive tackle in their 4-3 front.

Former Dallas coach Jason Garrett, now offensive coordinator with the New York Giants, told reporters on Oct. 21, 2019, that Collins was “very active, both as a run defender and affecting the quarterback.”

“He’s playing with a relentless spirit, he’s non-stop every play,” Garrett said. “So he’s played very well up to this point this year, he’s a good player.”

Collins finished his contract year with the Cowboys starting all 16 games, collecting 20 combined tackles, 4.0 sacks, six tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hits, and a fumble recovery. Dallas finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs.

The 6-2, 308-pound defensive tackle gives the Texans a player who knows how to man the key defensive tackle position in the Tampa-2. At 25 years old, Collins could still provide Houston with enough youth to become a mainstay at the position.

Dallas still D-line shopping; is Dontari Poe set to become the next Cowboy?

The team is reportedly closing in on a deal with free agent Dontari Poe, who brings a unique skill set to the defensive tackle position.

The Cowboys continue to explore new building blocks for their defensive line as the free agency shopping spree goes on. While the signing of six-time Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy certainly softens the blow of losing Maliek Collins, uncertainty about Antwaun Woods’s future with the team and question marks surrounding Trysten Hill’s development leaves Dallas in a precarious spot when it comes to reliable defensive tackle depth.

While a few recognizable names- including Damon Harrison and Ndamukong Suh- have been linked to the Cowboys as legitimate options, NFL insider Ian Rapaport tweeted Monday morning that the club is in talks with free agent Dontari Poe, most recently a member of the Carolina Panthers.

A first-round draft pick by the Chiefs in 2012, Poe spent five seasons in Kansas City, where he earned two Pro Bowl nods. He played in Atlanta on a one-year deal with the Falcons after that, and then joined Carolina in 2018. He finished the 2019 season on injured reserve after suffering a torn quad in Week 12, marking the first time Poe missed more than a single game in a season. The Panthers declined his third-year option for 2020.

With 278 tackles and 20.5 sacks over eight NFL seasons, the durable Poe may actually be better known for his touchdown-scoring prowess out of the backfield on trick plays for the Chiefs. In 2015, the 346-pounder rushed for a score, becoming the heaviest NFL player ever to do so. (William “The Refrigerator” Perry tipped the scales at about 335 when he rushed for two during his rookie 1985 season in Chicago.) The following season, Poe did it again, on a lateral pass play called “Hungry Pig Right.” On Christmas Day 2016, Poe entered the league record books as the heaviest player to ever throw a touchdown: a jump pass after a direct snap and fake rush out of the Wildcat formation.

The point is, if Kellen Moore really wants to get nuts, Poe could be Secret Weapon X. (Or maybe Secret Weapon XXL.)

Even if a deal with Poe is, as Rapoport suggests, imminent, the Cowboys are maintaining their interest in Harrison, too. The player called “Snacks” is considered by many to be the best free agent left on the market after four years with the Jets, three with the Giants, and the past two in Detroit.

The Cowboys-Harrison mutual courtship became social media fodder after he announced that he already owns a residence in the Metroplex.

 

Free agency grades for the Las Vegas Raiders on defense

Raiders have been extremely active in free agency. Raider’s wire grades every defensive signing in 2020.

The Las Vegas Raiders needed a boost on defense after finishing 19th overall in total yards but at the bottom of the league in efficiency rankings like DVOA. Mike Mayock went to work, working heavily to add players to the defensive side of the ball.

The Raiders kept free agents relatively young this offseason, and it is apparent on the defenders who were signed to contracts. Every defensive player signed at this moment averages the age of 26.3, adding a new wave of young talent. Mayock’s philosophy of making the Raiders younger and fresher to compete in the AFC is coming into fruition.

Even though nobody has played a down, let’s go ahead add grades to the players for good discussion.

LB Cory Littleton, 3 years / $35,250,000

Grade: A+

The sigh of relief from Raiders fans when they finally saw an excellent linebacker sign in free agency. Enter Cory Littleton, who has come to fill the void that has been missing for years in Oakland, a coverage linebacker.

Littleton is one of the best linebackers in pass defense in the league. PFF has graded him at an elite level at a 90.6 the past two seasons with him only trailing Lavonte David of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Littleton will be the new leader in the middle helping shut down tight ends and even can hang with quicker running backs.

This is one of the best signings in years, and the value was even better. Most people projected around $13 to $14 million, and the Raiders landed him 11 million base pay. Fantastic signing for the Raiders.

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DT Maliek Collins gets one-year deal for $6 million from Raiders

DT Maliek Collins gets one-year deal for $6 million from Raiders

As soon as the 2020 offseason started, it just seemed inevitable that Maliek Collins would be joining the Las Vegas Raiders. The 24-year old defensive tackle is a favorite of Rod Marinelli, and he brings production and experience to an interior defensive line that desperately needs it.

What is fascinating about this signing is how relatively cheap it is for the Raiders. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Collins received a one-year deal with the Raiders worth up to $6 million. Considering how young and productive Collins has been in the past, that is quite the value signing for the Raiders.

If Collins performs well, you can bet that the Raiders will make a strong effort to try to retain him. But if he flops or someone like Maurice Hurst emerges instead, this move doesn’t have any long-term impact on the Raiders at all.

Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden continue to take smart, calculated risks in free agency, and they should soon pay off in a big way for the Raiders.

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Witten, Heath, Maliek Collins join Raiders as Cowboys defections mount

The Raiders have signed three former Cowboys, including Jason Witten.

The chaos of NFL free agency is in full swing even in Dallas as the Jason Garrett era is officially over. Players who have been staples of the last decade plus are moving on from the organization and are finding homes with familiar friends.

The newly-minted Las Vegas Raiders signed a trio of former Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday, including tight-end Jason Witten. DE Maliek Collins and safety Jeff Heath will join him, and reunite with former DC Rod Marinelli on Jon Gruden’s staff.

Witten agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $4.75 million.

The writing had been on the wall in recent weeks. The Cowboys never seemed too interested in re-signing Witten to another contract, and already committed to his replacement, Blake Jarwin to a 4-year extension earlier this week.

Still, losing Witten will take some time getting used to for the Cowboys faithful.

The details of the deal are not yet full disclosed on Collins’ deal. Collins was productive all four of his years in Dallas and so it makes sense that Marinelli, the new Raiders defensive line coach, would want to bring in his former pupil.

Heath joined Las Vegas for a reported two-year deal worth up to $4M annually.

 

For those counting at home, that’s now four starters from last year’s Cowboys defense that will be in different locations: Byron Jones (MIA), Robert Quinn (CHI), Maliek Collins (LVR), and Jeff Heath (LVR).

For what it’s worth, the Cowboys have started to refill the holes left on their defense. The team re-signed safety Darian Thompson to a two-year deal, according to the busy Todd Archer. Thompson, just 26 years old, started in four games last season and is necessary depth for the recently depleted Dallas secondary.

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REPORT: Raiders agree to deal with free-agent DT Maliek Collins

REPORT: Raiders agree to deal with free-agent DT Maliek Collins

The Las Vegas Raiders continue to add former Dallas Cowboys as they have now agreed to terms with defensive tackle Maliek Collins, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.

Collins is just 24-years old and has proven to be one of the better pass-rushers at the position. Given the history with new defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, it’s not surprising at all that Collins would up in Las Vegas.

Look for Collins to compete with Maurice Hurst for the team’s under-tackle spot and to play significant snaps for the Raiders in 2020.

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6 DTs the Colts should target in free agency

6 DTs the Colts should consider.

If all goes according to plan, the Indianapolis Colts will be entering free agency at the beginning of next week where they will target the defensive tackle position.

When looking at pure need, the defensive tackle position might be atop the list. Of course, the quarterback and wide receiver positions have their case as well. But the Colts rarely generated any consistent pressure from their interior defensive line, regardless of whether it was from the three-tech or the one-tech.

This leaves them with a massive need at what Chris Ballard believes is the engine of the defense. Here are six options the Colts should consider in free agency:

Mark Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Jones | Kansas City Chiefs | Age: 25

This one is a no-brainer so we won’t spend too much time on it. Jones is likely to be franchise tagged by the Chiefs—the deadline is Monday at noon—so the Colts would have to trade for him. That’s unlikely to happen, but the NFL is unpredictable.

Jones would be a fantastic addition to the Colts defensive line and probably would be the perfect fit in their gap-shooting front. He has the size to line up at either interior spot and can win in several ways, both power and finesse. Unfortunately, the Colts are unlikely to get the chance to offer him.

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