Collins brings aggression to defensive line
HOUSTON — Maliek Collins has heard the chatter from his Texans teammates, the prognostications made by defensive ends about the increased number of plays they’ll make because of the favorable matchups they’ll get with a strong and wily defensive tackle like Collins in the middle.
Collins is more reserved in his confidence. He knows the defense has played only two preseason games in new defensive coordinator Lovie Smith’s four-manfront scheme, two exhibitions that, even with total production of seven sacks, 13 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles, offer very little proof Houston’s defense will improve once the regular season begins.
“Yeah,” Collins said after practice Monday, “it be a lot of chatter. But we’ve got to go out there and do it and put it on tape.”
Training camp is virtually over. All that’s left of the preseason is Houston’s final exhibition against Tampa Bay on Saturday night at NRG Stadium. Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians confirmed their starters will play the full first half against the Texans, which presents the ultimate test for Smith’s defense against the reigning Super Bowl champs and future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady.
If the revamped Texans defense rattles the usually unflappable Brady, Collins will be one of the major reasons.
First-year general manager Nick Caserio signed the 6-foot-2, 310-pound Collins to a one-year contract worth $5 million — the team’s second-highest one-year deal to quarterback Tyrod Taylor’s $5.5 million contract — as a noticeable investment toward bolstering a front seven that, among other defensive issues, hardly disrupted passers last season.
Opposing quarterbacks rushed throws against the Texans at the league’s sixth-lowest rate (hurried 7.8 percent on dropbacks), were knocked down at the eighthlowest rate (8.7 percent) and sacked 32 times, a total that ranked 18th in the NFL. Comfortable quarterbacks tormented the Houston secondary, which surrendered the league’s ninth-most passing yards (4,104) while collecting the fewest interceptions (three).
Collins is one of eight newcomers added to the Texans’ defensive line, all brought in to help create more pressure for a defense that produced just nine takeaways in 2020, second fewest in the NFL since 1980.
“When you’re able to have pressure up front, everything on the defensive side of the ball works together,” safety Justin Reid said. “When you have pressure up front, that creates opportunities for us to get turnovers on the back end when the quarterback has somebody in his face or he has to speed up his throw quicker than he wants to. It makes it easier for us on the back end to read those throws and to create turnover opportunities than if he’s just sitting back there all day.”
Collins, a sixth-year veteran, will often be somewhat of a matchup-maker when it comes to Houston’s pass rush, a prototypical 4-3 tackle who, by drawing double-teams, creates one-onone opportunities for defensive ends on the edge.
He held similar roles in four seasons with the Cowboys, one with the Raiders. The 26-year-old tackle was an effective pass-rush partner in a similar scheme with Dallas defensive end Demarcus Lawrence, who, in 2017 and 2018, totaled 25 sacks and was twice selected to the Pro Bowl.
In Saturday’s reunion against the Cowboys, Collins attracted a
double-team on the third play of the game, which freed up Jacob Martin to sweep past right tackle La’el Collins for a sack fumble. Collins drew two blockers again later in the first quarter, creating a favorable one-on-one for Charles Omenihu against tight end Jeremy Sprinkle. Omenihu powered past Sprinkle for a second-down sack that led to a Cowboys punt.
Sometimes it’s trickier. Collins and Omenihu ran a combo stunt early in the second quarter, with Collins rushing vertically between the Cowboys’ left guard and tackle, drawing them both, while Omenihu looped inside the open gap for a punt-forcing sack of reserve quarterback Cooper Rush.
“I have to give credit to Maliek,” Omenihu said after the
game. “The guy was right there for the taking. I told Maliek he was going to get me a lot of those this season, so I have to appreciate him.”
Those are the types of plays Collins says define him as an aggressive lineman who shoots gaps and attacks blockers head-on, not someone who sits back cautiously and reacts to the offense’s action.
“I get off the ball, I get up the field, set vertical edges and then make the play in the backfield,” Collins said. “I don’t look at making plays with 3-yard gains and stuff like that. I’m a vertical, upthe-field player. I want to make a lot of (tackles for loss), I want to make a lot of sacks, because you set the ball back, and then we can get the rush.”
Collins recorded 14½ sacks and 20 tackles for loss in four seasons
with the Cowboys. His production diminished significantly during an injury-plagued season in Las Vegas, where Collins posted no sacks or tackles for loss despite 11 starts and finished the season on injured reserve.
So far, Collins has played healthy for the Texans in the preseason, and Smith has said he fits the profile for the type of tackle the defense’s scheme requires. Collins is powerful enough to stop the run, quick enough to rush the passer, and skilled enough to win one-on-one matchups in the rare instances he finds himself alone against a blocker.
“Maliek’s going to win most of those,” Smith said, “and that’s a pretty good defense for us.”