Third Time’s the Charm? Jamie Collins Rejoins Patriots

Once…Twice…Three Times a Patriot.

As the New England Patriots begin to turn their attention to their Week Five matchup with the Houston Texans, they will be adding some help at linebacker, from a familiar source.

Just one week removed from his release from the Detroit Lions, the Patriots have signed linebacker Jamie Collins, as first reported by his agent, David Canter.

The deal was announced moments after veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore was traded to the Carolina Panthers.

Collins was in his second year of the three year deal he signed with the club heading into the 2020 season. In his first year with the Lions, he started 14 games. He also started the first two games of this season. However, recent developments saw the team opt to provide more playing time to their younger core at the position. As a result, Collins’ days became numbered in Detroit.

While linebacker may have been considered a position of strength for the Patriots, they unexpectedly may be in need of some assistance. Linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley was inactive on Sunday versus the Tampa Buccaneers due to a shoulder injury. Second -year linebacker Josh Uche also saw reduced action in Week Four, after having been limited in practice throughout the week with a back injury Should either player be further slowed by injury, the Pats bringing Collins back to the Foxboro fold makes sense.

Collins returns for third tour of duty with the Patriots. He was drafted by New England in the second round (No. 52 overall) of the 2013 draft. During his first stint with the Pats, Collins tallied 206 solo tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 23 quarterback hits and 10.5 sacks across 50 games (41 starts).

In 2016, Collins was traded to the Cleveland Browns mid-season. He played in 30 games with the team, posting 204 tackles and seven sacks. The 29 year-old was released by Cleveland on March 6. At that time, the Browns also had tried to trade him but could not find any suitors.

In May 2019, Collins agreed to a deal which would reunite him with head coach Bill Belichick in New England. In his second stint with the Pats, Collins looked more comfortable in the team’s defensive schemes. He finished the season with 58 tackles, 10 quarterback hits, 7 sacks, and 3 interceptions with one touchdown, before signing his free agent deal with the Lions.

At his best, Collins is still one of the more dynamic talents in the league. He can still provide capable contributions as an off-ball starter, as well as explosiveness at the linebacker position on third down. As a result, the team undoubtedly hopes that Collins’ familiarity with their system will help to provide additional stability to the Patriots defense.

With the signing now confirmed, Collins should be expected to join the team this week. The Patriots will travel to Houston to take on the Texans at NRG Stadium at 1:00pm ET on Sunday, October 10.