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[h=1]By PATRIK WALKER 2 hours ago[/h] The 2019 season will be pivotal for Maliek Collins.
The former third-round pick has battled several injuries since being selected by the Dallas Cowboys in 2016, but battled through and subsequently did not miss a single game in his first two seasons, delivering 7.5 sacks that included five in his rookie season along with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery — despite having suffered a broken foot in OTAs that year. It was testament to the both Collins' grit and resilience, both again being on display when he was available for the 2018 season opener against the Carolina Panthers after undergoing surgery to repair a broken foot six months prior.
He'd also sack quarterback Eli Manning in that game, helping lift the Cowboys to 20-13 victory.
Collins did miss time in 2018 though, the first in his career, but he finished the year with nine starts in 13 games, posting three sacks from the 3-tech role -- becoming a key reason the Cowboys didn't miss a troubled David Irving. With Irving now permanently out of the picture, the starting role at 3-tech (right of center) is Collins' to lose, but he'll have stiff competition by way of new acquisitions that include second-round pick Trysten Hill. Don't expect the veteran to concede anything in what will be a contract season, however, because there's a lot on the line the moment training camp begins on July 26 in Oxnard, CA.
That's why Collins has been going just as hard with his offseason conditioning outside of practice as he did in OTAs and minicamp, taking nothing for granted in 2019.
Collins looks healthier than ever, and driven to potentially put up a career-best year in 2019.
If he can remain healthy, not much is going to stop Collins from getting the job done.
Additionally, the better he is this coming season, the less pressure there will be on Hill to deliver in a big way over the course of his rookie campaign. One hand will indeed wash the other, and Hill will also undoubtedly glean all he can from veteran interior linemen like Collins as he ramps up over the next several months. For Collins, it's all about making sure the Cowboys understand that durability is not a longterm issue, having already proven himself a capable starter who can contribute to the outcome of games. His career-high of five sacks came in his 2016 rookie season and he's one of the more valuable pieces of the Cowboys' defensive line, but the jury is out on if he can stave off the onslaught of challengers this year.
Collins missed three games on the front end of the 2018 season with a knee ailment, after returning to start the season following surgery to repair a broken foot that kept him out of training camp and the preseason. That marked the second time in his first three years that he'd miss training camp with a broken foot — the first occurrence being in 2016 — although he did return to play a full 16-game regular season slate that year.
There's no denying Collins' ability, but it's his availability that will truly tell the final story.
As it stands, though, he looks raring to go.
The former third-round pick has battled several injuries since being selected by the Dallas Cowboys in 2016, but battled through and subsequently did not miss a single game in his first two seasons, delivering 7.5 sacks that included five in his rookie season along with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery — despite having suffered a broken foot in OTAs that year. It was testament to the both Collins' grit and resilience, both again being on display when he was available for the 2018 season opener against the Carolina Panthers after undergoing surgery to repair a broken foot six months prior.
He'd also sack quarterback Eli Manning in that game, helping lift the Cowboys to 20-13 victory.
Collins did miss time in 2018 though, the first in his career, but he finished the year with nine starts in 13 games, posting three sacks from the 3-tech role -- becoming a key reason the Cowboys didn't miss a troubled David Irving. With Irving now permanently out of the picture, the starting role at 3-tech (right of center) is Collins' to lose, but he'll have stiff competition by way of new acquisitions that include second-round pick Trysten Hill. Don't expect the veteran to concede anything in what will be a contract season, however, because there's a lot on the line the moment training camp begins on July 26 in Oxnard, CA.
That's why Collins has been going just as hard with his offseason conditioning outside of practice as he did in OTAs and minicamp, taking nothing for granted in 2019.
Collins looks healthier than ever, and driven to potentially put up a career-best year in 2019.
If he can remain healthy, not much is going to stop Collins from getting the job done.
Additionally, the better he is this coming season, the less pressure there will be on Hill to deliver in a big way over the course of his rookie campaign. One hand will indeed wash the other, and Hill will also undoubtedly glean all he can from veteran interior linemen like Collins as he ramps up over the next several months. For Collins, it's all about making sure the Cowboys understand that durability is not a longterm issue, having already proven himself a capable starter who can contribute to the outcome of games. His career-high of five sacks came in his 2016 rookie season and he's one of the more valuable pieces of the Cowboys' defensive line, but the jury is out on if he can stave off the onslaught of challengers this year.
Collins missed three games on the front end of the 2018 season with a knee ailment, after returning to start the season following surgery to repair a broken foot that kept him out of training camp and the preseason. That marked the second time in his first three years that he'd miss training camp with a broken foot — the first occurrence being in 2016 — although he did return to play a full 16-game regular season slate that year.
There's no denying Collins' ability, but it's his availability that will truly tell the final story.
As it stands, though, he looks raring to go.
