The Detroit Lions boosted their linebacking corps this offseason, signing Jamie Collins to a three-year deal in March.
Lions head coach Matt Patricia is very familiar with Collins, as he was his defensive coordinator during much of the linebacker's time with the New England Patriots.
For that reason, Patricia knows what Collins brings to the table, and he is excited about it. He said on Tuesday (via Benjamin Raven of MLive.com)
“Obviously a great player that I’ve had the blessed fortune of being around before, and drafting and watching him grow and develop as a player … Probably one of the most amazing athletes I’ve ever seen from the standpoint of someone that big, that strong, that powerful and some of the athletic stuff he can do.”
Collins broke into the NFL as a second-round pick of the Patriots back in 2013 and spent his first three-and-a-half seasons in New England. He made a Pro Bowl appearance in 2015 after racking up 89 tackles, 5.5 sacks, an interception and five forced fumbles.
The Pats then traded Collins to the Cleveland Browns midway through 2016, and after residing in Cleveland for two-and-a-half seasons, the 30-year-old returned to the Patriots last year. Patricia commented on what Collins can bring to the Lions:
“I literally watched him one time stand at the line of scrimmage and try to grab the ball out of the quarterback’s hand as he was throwing it and try to … it’s just like … You know he can just do those things. Sometimes you just run into those types of athletes.”
Collins is coming off of a 2019-20 campaign in which he played every game and totaled 81 tackles, seven sacks and three picks. We'll see if he can help stabilize what has been rather shoddy Detroit defense.
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