The Washington Redskins have filled a major hole in Greg Manusky’s defense by signing Landon Collins. Grading the free agency deal for the safety.
There’s no denying the Washington Redskins have holes to fill looking to 2019. With Ha Ha Clinton-Dix becoming an unrestricted free agent, Bruce Allen and co. made a big splash in NFL free agency. Instead of resigning Clinton-Dix, who they acquired ahead of the 2018 trade deadline, Washington went with another Alabama product, Landon Collins. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the deal is for six years and worth $84 million.
The New York Giants selected Collins in the second round of 2015 NFL Draft. He’s been an impact player for the Giants defense, as evidenced by his three Pro Bowl appearances and one-time All-Pro honors. Collins is widely recognized as a young, elite strong safety.
In his time in New York, he’s specialized in playing in the box. Over the last four seasons, Collins amassed over 420 tackles, including 22 tackles for loss. His ability to play the run as an extra man in the box sets the tone for a defense. What Manusky’s defense asks of his safeties fits Collins skill-set well.
While with the Giants, Collins played close to the line of scrimmage. They used him to blitz on occasion, while also dropping him into coverage in matchups with opposing tight ends.
Manusky sometimes uses his box-safeties to replace the edge rusher. This strategy would leave Collins one-on-one with the running back, allowing him to make impact plays in the backfield. He’s more than capable as, in 2016, Collins finished the season with four sacks and nine tackles for loss. Collins’ versatility is an asset Manusky can exploit.
While he’s best as a box-safety, Collins isn’t completely inept being asked to drop into coverage. Manusky uses his strong safety as a linebacker-safety hybrid at times. So, Collins will line up and cover the tight end but also drop into zone coverage. Collins brings some really good balls skills. Over his four-year tenure with the Giants, Collins totaled eight interceptions and 32 pass defenses.
Thanks to the Giants unwillingness to pay Collins, the Redskins got an elite talent. With a solid front seven and a shut down corner in Josh Norman, this signing makes sense the Redskins, even if they had to overpay a bit for him.