Maliek

Collins

Houston’s revamping of the defensive line continues unabated just before the official kickoff of free agency. The Niners’ acquisition of Collins likely means Arik Armstead will be released this afternoon. Collins had 11 sacks over the past three seasons with the Texans. In 2023, he set a career high with 41 tackles.

Anderson missed practice with an ankle injury he has played through in Weeks 17 and 18. DT Maliek Collins (hip), EDGE Jonathan Greenard (ankle), EDGE Jerry Hughes (ankle), and DT Sheldon Rankins (shoulder) also did not practice on Tuesday. The Texans have had a banged-up defensive front for a couple weeks now, with Greenard being the only player that missed Week 18. Expect most of them to return to practice later in the week, with a good chance to play against the Browns on Saturday.

Anderson previously missed time due to the ankle injury and just came back to play Week 17. He was listed as a non-participant in Tuesday’s walkthrough but still has a chance to suit up in practice later this week to play a Week 18 Saturday matchup against the Colts. DT Maliek Collins (hip), EDGE Jonathan Greenard (ankle), and DT Sheldon Rankins (ankle) were all listed as non-participants as well, with injuries piling up on the Texans defensive line.

The good news is that Will Anderson is back from his high-ankle sprain and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins is available as well. The Texans entered the weekend with all four of their top pass-rushers listed as questionable or our. Only two of them, Collins and Greenard, are inactive.

Defensive tackles Maliek Collins and Sheldon Rankins are questionable, as is EDGE Will Anderson. That’s the Texans’ top four pass-rushers all listed as either out or questionable. Greenard easily leads the unit in sacks with 12.5 on the season. The cluster of injuries should give Will Levis plenty of clean pockets to work from this week.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal includes $20 million guaranteed. Collins joined the Texans on a one-year deal in 2021 and re-upped with the team for two more years. His new deal will keep him in town through the 2025 season. Though his counting stats aren’t anything to write home about, Collins is a solid presence on the interior of Houston’s defensive line, allowing the team’s defensive ends to clean up the sacks. Per Pro Football Focus, Collins ranked inside the top 20 interior linemen in pressure and pass rush grade in 2022. He tallied 3.5 sacks and nine TFLs last year.

Collins had a hard collision with Raiders running back Ameer Abdullah on the Raiders’ second offensive possession of the day. Collins went down immediately after the play but was able to walk off the field under his own power.

Collins’ new deal will include $8.5 million guaranteed. He’s proved a valuable run stuffer over his six NFL seasons. He’ll rejoin a Texans defense graded by Pro Football Focus as the NFL’s seventh worst run-stopping unit in 2021.

One of the Texans’ steadiest defenders, Collins is technically a healthy scratch, but he just came off the COVID-19 list on Saturday. He’s a big loss vs. the run-focused 49ers. Joining Collins on the sideline are QB Deshaun Watson, DB Cre’von LeBlanc, DB Jimmy Moreland, DL Chris Smith and DL Derek Rivers.

Another failed free-agent signing under Jon Gruden and GM Mike Mayock, 25-year-old Collins didn’t record a single sack or pressure across 12 games in his lone year with Las Vegas. He’ll likely be forced onto the field often given Houston’s lack of impactful bodies in the trenches.