Should Lions Pursue LB Jamie Collins?
Let the "Detroit Patriots" jokes begin.
However, with every good joke, there is some truth.
It's common knowledge that Lions general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia both have strong ties to the New England Patriots.
And, they have a history of targeting players and coaches that come from a similar background.
At linebacker, the Lions need to upgrade the position.
Both of their starters from a year ago -- Jarrad Davis and Christian Jones -- ranked in the bottom 10 of off-ball backers in 2019, per PFF's grading scale.
Plenty of Lions fans have speculated, and voiced their desires to add former Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins to give the Lions' defense a little extra juice.
But should they?
Collins, 30, was ranked on the other end of the grading-scale spectrum.
He rejuvenated his career with a top-10 PFF season at his position in '19.
After a dominant first stint with the Patriots from 2013-16, Collins was never able to find that same magic after being traded to the Cleveland Browns.
As usual, the Patriots took another chance on Collins last offseason in free agency, and it was just like old times.
Obviously, with Patricia and Collins having familiarity with each other and with his understanding of the scheme, Collins would be a natural fit in Motown.
Unfortunately, the Lions brass may really like who they have currently on the roster.
Quinn and Patricia have both spoken highly of Davis, they gave Jones a rare contract extension mid-season and Detroit spent a second-round pick on linebacker Jahlani Tavai last year.
Actually, all the linebackers who played in at least one game and made one or more tackles this past season are currently under contract in 2020. Miles Killebrew's rookie contract is up, but to be technical, he was considered a safety in 2019.
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It's very possible the Lions are content with their linebackers at this point. Probably a lot more than the general consensus around Detroit.
Even if Quinn isn't overly happy at the linebacker spot, he has invested heavily in that position group. That could be enough of a deterrent to stay away from adding another body.
Collins is a prototypical linebacker for Patricia's scheme. He has length, size, and even more athleticism than what Patricia usually gets in a defender. After all, it was Patricia who coached up Collins in his first few years in the league.
What's different about Collins that sticks out over what the Lions are currently fielding at the off-ball linebacker spot is his ability to cover. He may not be one of the leagues best, but he is much better than anyone on the Lions roster.
Collins had three interceptions and a 50.4 passer rating against in 2019, which was second-best for all off-ball linebackers in the NFL.
One downside to his game is that he isn't the surest tackler -- yet neither are Davis or Tavai. It is also worrisome that he only seems to play well while in New England.
Could his success just be a Belichick-induced mirage?
At the very least, you would think Patricia would know how to best use Collins.
At his age, Collins shouldn't command much money, too.
It's unlikely the Lions will look to pay a ton for a linebacker given the other holes on the roster.
If there is one linebacker that checks all the boxes and at a relatively low price, though, it's Collins.
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