Pro Bowl safety Collins likely out for season with shoulder injury
EAST RUTHERFORD >> Pat Shurmur believes the Giants are creating a memory bank. They are changing the culture by showing resiliency in the face of adversity. They are winning games near the end of another dark season for the franchise with an eye toward the future.
All around the Giants’ locker room are players who yearn for co-captain Landon Collins to be part of that equation.
“Who doesn’t?” cornerback Janoris Jenkins said.
“I wouldn’t want to play with anybody other than him at that position,” added safety and fellow co-captain Michael Thomas. “He’s going to leave it all out there on the field.”
But Collins’ future in New York is more uncertain than ever after Pat Shurmur announced Wednesday that the strong safety is out this week against the Redskins and will likely require season-ending shoulder surgery.
Collins, already a twotime Pro Bowler, is in the final year of his rookie contract since being drafted in the second round out of Alabama in 2015. He becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason, at which time the Giants can either resign Collins long-term, apply the one-year franchise tag or let him sign with another team.
As wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. negotiated a record-setting five-year extension in August before he hit free agency, Collins was content with playing out the remainder of his contract despite being an underpaid commodity at $1.94 million this season.
The Chiefs’ Eric Berry is the NFL’s highest paid safety at $13 million. Four other players carry cap hits of at least $10 million, according to Spotrac. Collins, given his age and accolades, has a strong case to receive an annual salary in that range.
It is unclear at this point how his injury might affect that.
“It’s always in the back of your head,” Collins said in October. “You don’t want to get hurt, definitely in contract season. You want to be secure. I play football and I love this game, and I’m going to play hard.”
Collins certainly has plenty of game tape that can attest. He started his first 47 career games prior to suffering a broken forearm which forced him to miss the season finale last year and receive two surgeries.
This season, Collins played all of the Giants’ defensive snaps for nine straight games. He missed six snaps against the Buccaneers while being evaluated for a concussion, then this past Sunday, he sat for 11 snaps against the Bears with the shoulder injury before returning and finishing the overtime game.
Collins was a First Team All-Pro and third place for Defensive Player of the Year in 2016, when he broke out with 125 tackles, four sacks and five interceptions. He hasn’t been quite as productive since, ranking as Pro Football Focus’ 36th-best safety this season.
“Landon displays what he is,” Shurmur said. “He’s a very tough guy, very good tackler. He’s made a lot of plays for us, especially close to the line of scrimmage. I’ve said it numerous times: In a sport where toughness is required, he’s got a lot of it, so that’s what I appreciate about him.”
With Collins sidelined, expect Thomas to start at strong safety alongside free safety Curtis Riley. Sean Chandler, a Camden native and undrafted rookie out of Temple, is another young player who will see increased playing time as the coaching staff evaluates for the future.
“Somebody who literally has it all,” Thomas said of Chandler. “He has enough size to play at the position, but he’s very quick, very aggressive style. He’s willing to tackle, he can cover well. So he has all the talent, he’s just got to keep improving and learning the pro game now compared to what he did in college and once he gets that, I’m excited for his career.”