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5 Pending free agents Dallas Cowboys need to re-sign for 2020

By Randy Gurzi

(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JANUARY 05: Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks is sacked by Maliek Collins #96 of the Dallas Cowboys in the first half during the Wild Card Round at AT&T Stadium on January 05, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JANUARY 05: Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks is sacked by Maliek Collins #96 of the Dallas Cowboys in the first half during the Wild Card Round at AT&T Stadium on January 05, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

5. Maliek Collins, DT

One player who is an unsung hero on the Dallas defensive line is Maliek Collins. He was added back in 2016 as a member of the insane Dallas draft that reshaped their franchise. He was taken in the third round, right after Jaylon Smith and a couple of selections before Dak Prescott.

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While he hasn’t had the same impact they have had on the team, Collins is a versatile weapon capable of playing both the three-technique and one-technique defensive tackle spot in Rod Marinelli’s scheme.

And in four seasons, he’s started 47 of 53 games played and has 76 tackles with 13.5 sacks. This season, he’s already at three sacks for the year and has generated many more quarterback pressures that have helped slow opposing offenses down.

With Collins, it’s going to come down to money. He’s not one of the superstar players that will command high-dollar, but he also isn’t a player who will take a one-year deal at a discounted rate. Perhaps they could find common ground to make the player happy and help him stay with the team that drafted him.

Should that not happen, there will be a hole on the line needing to be filled. He doesn’t get the credit he deserves now, but if he were gone, he would be sorely missed.

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