The Cleveland Browns added some veteran leadership to their defensive line this offseason.
They didn’t waste a lot of time after the San Francisco 49ers cut Maliek Collins in a salary-dumping move.
Though Collins hasn’t played a single snap for his new team, analyst Lance Reisland has been quite impressed with him so far.
In a recent appearance on the “Orange and Brown Talk” podcast, Reisland said the tackle turned heads in offseason practices.
“I think Maliek Collins is the most underrated pick-up of this offseason. He was my most impressive guy of camp,” Reisland said.
The Browns gave the veteran a two-year deal worth $20 million, including $13 million fully guaranteed.
That came shortly after they parted with two-year starter Dalvin Tomlinson.
Collins is coming off posting a career-high-tying five sacks last season, adding 12 quarterback hits.
He has 30.5 sacks and 88 quarterback hits in nine NFL seasons.
He should be a tailor-made fit for coordinator Jim Schwartz’s scheme, starting opposite rookie Mason Graham and giving the Browns a strong front seven.
Collins was a third-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 2016 and has also played for the Las Vegas Raiders and Houston Texans.
He’s made 136 appearances (129 starts), totalling 239 combined tackles, 51 tackles for loss, eight fumble recoveries, four passes defended and one interception.
He started all 17 games for San Francisco last season and played 67 percent of the defensive snaps, logging 33 combined tackles, five tackles for loss, and two fumble recoveries.
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