Maliek Collins

Texans Notes: Green, Perryman, Griffin, Staff

The Texans received updates on two injury situations with the potential to bleed over into training camp, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. It looks like Houston will see a defender back at full-speed, while an offensive starter may have a bit further to go.

Firstly, Wilson reported that free agent addition Denzel Perryman is nearly back to full-strength after recovering from labrum shoulder surgery. The former Raiders linebacker missed games last year with a dislocated shoulder before ultimately undergoing the procedure. The 30-year-old has graded out as a top-30 linebacker in each of his two years in Las Vegas, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He’s projected to start beside Christian Kirksey and Christian Harris in 2023.

On the offensive side of the ball, last year’s rookie starter at offensive guard, Kenyon Green, is still making his way back from an arthroscopic knee surgery that he underwent this offseason. New head coach DeMeco Ryans was noncommittal on when Green would return“We’ll see where Kenyon is come training camp,” Ryans told reporters. “For Kenyon, he has to be ready to go, and the work he puts in over the next few weeks will see if he’s ready and ready to go out and compete.”

Here are a few other rumors coming out of H-Town:

  • The Texans were recently able to add free agent cornerback Shaquill Griffin to their secondary. According to another report from Wilson, Houston wasn’t the only team with interest in the veteran corner. Griffin claims that along with his former team in Jacksonville and his new team in Houston, he felt interest from the Vikings and Commanders. He only made one visit, but his trip to Texas was enough to sell him on the team’s scheme and “energy.”
  • Houston was recently able to reach an agreement to extend defensive tackle Maliek Collins to a new two-year, $23MM deal with a reported $20MM of guaranteed money. Recent updates adjust the latter number slightly. Collins was actually guaranteed $20.5MM, consisting of a $10.5MM signing bonus, Collins’s 2023 base salary of $2MM, and his 2024 base salary of $8MM. His contract will also include a per game active bonus of $29,411 for a potential season total of $500k.
  • Lastly, there was a bit of a shakeup in the Texans’ front office last weekend. According to Wilson, former chief of staff Nick Kray is no longer with the organization. Kray came over with Ryans from the same position in San Francisco when Ryans took the head coaching gig in Houston. Since his departure, assistant to the coaches Jake Olson has taken over Kray’s duties. Olson was recently added to the staff after stints as Kent State director of football operations and Yale chief of staff.

Texans, Maliek Collins Agree On Extension

For the second straight offseason, the Texans are giving Maliek Collins a two-year contract. The veteran defensive tackle will now be signed through the 2025 season.

Collins agreed to terms on a two-year, $23MM extension Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). That deal will include $20MM guaranteed. This marks a nice raise for the ex-Cowboys draftee. His previous contract — a two-year, $17MM pact — contained $8.5MM guaranteed. Only $1MM guaranteed remained on Collins’ 2022 agreement.

Although Collins has only been in Houston since 2021, this marks his third contract with the rebuilding team. Nick Caserio‘s first offseason in the Houston GM chair involved a one-year, $5MM deal. The Texans re-signed Collins as a free agent in 2022 and will now make a bigger bet on the former Cowboys and Raiders starter. It would not be surprising to learn the $20MM number represents the total guarantee, rather than the amount locked in at signing, but this continues to show the franchise’s commitment to the D-line starter. Collins will enter the 2023 season with 96 career starts.

Despite the Texans firing David Culley and Lovie Smith after one season apiece, they are deeming Collins an early fit in a new defensive scheme. DeMeco Ryans is installing his 4-3 alignment, moving Collins to a full-time D-tackle role. He played in a 4-3 look in Dallas and Las Vegas, and with teams generally rushing four from nickel sets, the 3-4/4-3 divide is not nearly as notable as it once was.

Collins, 28, served as one of the more reliable pieces on two bad Texans teams. A 15-game starter in 2021 and 2022, Collins has combined for six sacks and 18 tackles for loss during his Houston run. While Pro Football Focus graded the former third-round pick as a mid-pack interior D-lineman last season, the advanced metrics site slotted him in the top 20 against the pass. While Ryans does not have an Arik Armstead-level piece on his new Texans defense, Collins’ contract points to him being the team’s interior pillar.

The Texans have obviously not come close to replacing J.J. Watt, one of the NFL’s all-time D-line greats, but they do have two veteran starters in place to start Ryans’ run. In addition to extending Collins, the team brought in former first-rounder Sheldon Rankins on a one-year, $9.75MM deal. The Texans also signed ex-49er rotational cog Hassan Ridgeway this offseason. The team’s Collins-led inside corps should be improved in 2023.

Texans To Re-Sign Maliek Collins

The Texans are keeping Maliek Collins. On Tuesday, the defensive tackle agreed to return on a two-year deal worth $17MM (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).  The pact also includes $8.5MM guaranteed, giving Collins security heading into his seventh pro season.

[RELATED: Falcons Eyeing Texans’ Watson?]

Collins, a three-technique tackle, emerged as a key contributor in Lovie Smith‘s defense last year. The two sides were said to have mutual interest and, as expected, they’ve hashed out a deal in advance of the official start to free agency.

The Texans snagged Collins on a one-year, $5MM deal last year. This time around, they were willing to go significantly higher. At one point in time, Collins seemed like a lost cause. However, he’s clearly bounced back from his iffy Raiders run.

Last year, Collins notched a career-high 29 tackles with nine tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits, and 2.5 sacks.

AFC Notes: Bailey, Steelers, Collins, Weeks

Going into the last year of his contract, Patriots punter Jake Bailey was set to earn a base salary of $925,000 for the 2022 NFL season. Due to a proven performance bonus that was triggered when Bailey was selected to the 2020 Pro Bowl, Bailey is on track to be the NFL’s highest-paid punter with a 2022 salary of $3.98MM, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.

A knee injury limited Bailey in the 2021 season which saw him struggle to live up to his expected salary. It’s now assumed that the Patriots will begin working towards a contract extension to lessen the cap hit Bailey is posed to hold. In a normal situation, the Patriots might want to see another season of success out of Bailey after a down 2021, but Bailey’s raise puts a little pressure on New England to work out a deal sooner rather than later.

Here are a few more notes from around the AFC, starting with a note from the Steel City:

  • In an article for The Athletic, Ed Bouchette poses the question: What does Pittsburgh do about their pass-catchers this offseason? The Steelers have long subscribed to the notion that they don’t need to sign a receiver to a multi-year extension (with the exception of Antonio Brown). They can (and do) always just draft another. Now, JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington, and Ray-Ray McCloud are headed towards free agency. They still have Diontae Johnson (heading into a contract year, himself) and Chase Claypool, but both have had their own issues: Johnson with drops and Claypool failing to improve on an impressive rookie-season. Pittsburgh can (and likely will) turn to the second and third round of the draft to address the thin roster, as usual, but do they break protocol to ensure they have at least three receivers they can trust?
  • After a one-year deal brought him to Houston, defensive tackle Maliek Collins has the Texans hooked. The 3-tech tackle played a pivotal role in now-head coach Lovie Smith‘s defense and the Texans are determined to pluck him off the open market and keep him in Houston. Luckily for Lovie, the feeling is reportedly mutual, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. Collins is a strong fit in Houston and embraced his new team and his role on the team. Smith gushed about Collins and his impact, identifying him as the linchpin of their defensive system.
  • We mentioned a couple weeks ago that the Texans were able to re-sign long-time long snapper Jon Weeks on a one-year deal. Details on the contract were provided this week by Aaron Wilson on Twitter. Weeks will stay around the veteran minimum, slightly increasing his base salary from $1.08MM to $1.12MM and slightly increasing his signing bonus from $137,500 to $152,500. Consider it a cost-of-living raise for Weeks who will become the franchise’s longest-tenured player of all time when he reaches his 13th season this fall, passing star wide receiver Andre Johnson for the most seasons in Houston of all time.

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 12/31/21

Here are the New Year’s Eve additions and subtractions from teams’ reserve/COVID-19 lists:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

  • Activated from practice squad virus list: T Drew Himmelman, LB Barrington Wade

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 12/29/21

Several key players returned to practice Wednesday. Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from around the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Activated from practice squad/COVID-19 list: WR Rico Bussey

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/20/21

A long list of players were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. We listed the players who landed on the list today, as well as those who were activated off the list:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DE John Franklin-Myers, DB Sharrod Neasman

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Texans To Sign DT Maliek Collins

Maliek Collins will relocate for the second straight offseason. The veteran defensive tackle agreed to terms with the Texans on Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

The former Cowboys draftee and 2020 Raiders contributor will sign a one-year contract worth up to $6MM, Schefter adds. This could represent good value for the rebuilding Texans, with Collins having started 66 games in his five-year career.

A third-round Cowboys pick in 2016, Collins became a Dallas regular immediately. He will a Houston D-line that lost J.J. Watt this offseason. Collins, who will turn 26 next month, played 12 games last season (11 starts) but failed to record a sack or a tackle for loss as a Raider.

This represents a “prove it”-type deal for the longtime starter. The Texans will surely add more starters to a defense that has fallen on hard times in recent years.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/26/20

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

  • Promoted: C Javon Patterson

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Raiders To Place Maliek Collins On IR

Maliek Collins has started throughout his first Raiders season but will see an injury pause his initial post-Cowboys campaign.

The Raiders are placing the first-string defensive tackle on IR Wednesday, per The Athletic’s Vic Tafur (on Twitter). Collins has started in the 10 games in which he’s played this year but must miss at least the next three. Collins was listed on the Raiders’ injury report with ankle and hamstring issues, but Jon Gruden said the D-lineman has a shoulder injury as well (Twitter link via Tafur).

While the Raiders gave Collins a one-year deal worth $6MM, he has struggled. Pro Football Focus currently has the fifth-year veteran slotted as the league’s worst full-time interior defender. Collins has yet to record a sack and has just one quarterback hit this season.

Working under current Raiders defensive line coach Rod Marinelli in Dallas, Collins recorded multiple sacks in each of his first four seasons. He also notched at least eight QB hits in each of his Cowboy campaigns, creating a mid-level market for himself this offseason.