The Las Vegas Raiders reinforced one of their strengths by adding former Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Maliek Collins, reuniting him with current defensive line coach Rod Marinelli.
The unit, as it stands right now, will be stacked with talent next season. Coach Marinelli will be working with Maxx Crosby, Clelin Ferrell, Maurice Hurst, Collins as well as defensive end Carl Nassib. Suffice to say that Marinelli’s current status with the Raiders played a role in luring Collins to Las Vegas.
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Maliek Collins Will Elevate Raiders Pass Rush in 2020
Under Marinelli last year, Collins had one of his best years as a pro. In a season where he started 16 games, he finished with four sacks, one fumble recovery, 20 tackles, and ten QB hits. A third round pick from Nebraska, it’s worth noting that Collins is only 24 so the Raiders are picking up a player that’s in his prime and could quite possibly play his best football in Sin City.
As far as the Dallas connection, we know Marinelli isn’t calling the shots, but at the same time, general manager Mike Mayock strikes me as someone who would definitely listen to him. Mike Fisher of Sports Illustrated also mentioned that when he wrote about the Raiders signing Collins.
“The Las Vegas Raiders obviously aren’t letting their new assistant coach Rod Marinelli run their personnel department. At the same time, Marinelli is a respected voice in the NFL who likes who he likes …”
It looks like Marinelli, under defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, will have plenty of toys to play with in Las Vegas. With an already improved linebacker corps on paper and the draft yet to occur, this defense is already shaping up to be something potentially special.
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