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It’s not often a veteran athlete goes down with an injury, and a younger player steps in and thrives that the veteran player goes out of his way to praise the younger guy.
That’s exactly what is taking place in Washington as veteran safety Landon Collins offers the highest praise of second-year safety Kamren Curl.
Collins, who signed a six-year, $84 million contract with Washington in 2019, went down with an Achilles injury in Week 7 last season. Just before his injury, it looked like Collins was getting comfortable in Jack Del Rio’s defense.
However, when Collins went down, rookie seventh-round pick Kamren Curl stepped in and looked like a veteran, as Washington’s defense took off with Curl in the lineup.
After practice on Tuesday, Collins, who met with the media, said he was proud of the youngster when John Keim of ESPN asked Collins about Curl.
“No, sir, honestly. I’m just happy that he played the way he played. He’s been playing excellent, he stepped into the position very well, and man, I’m proud of him,” Collins said. “I’m proud of him.”
Collins, who is entering his seventh season in the NFL in 2021, realizes his role as a veteran player is to help the younger players as it helps the entire team get better.
“I’m getting older,” Collins said. “He’s the younger guy; the more he learns from me, and the more we learn from each other, the better we are as a defense and the better we can get to that championship.”
With Collins set to return healthy for Week 1, Del Rio has a good problem on his hands. Washington has two starting-caliber players at strong safety. Now, the defensive coordinator can be creative in getting both players on the field.
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