Cleveland Browns: Jamie Collins is a liability on defense

The Cleveland Browns were hoping that Jamie Collins could be a play-maker on the defensive side of the ball, but he has instead been a liability.

Cleveland Browns linebacker Jamie Collins has quickly become one of the biggest enemies of the Dawg Pound, as much of the fan base criticizes the 29-year-old’s performance.

When the Browns traded for Collins in 2016, he was thought of being a dynamic player on the defensive side of the ball.

He was a good tackler that was effective at stopping the run. But he was also solid in pass coverage and could make plays on the ball. And lastly, he was great at creating penetration and getting to the quarterback.

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In Cleveland, he has shown glimpses of that talent. But for the most part, he has shown more of the reason why the Patriots were willing to trade him: effort.

In his two and a half seasons in Cleveland, there have been too many occurrences of Collins taking plays off. Oftentimes, Collins taking a play off has created a big play and/or a touchdown for the opposing offense.

During last week’s loss to the Chiefs, Collins was slow to fill a gap on the goal-line, which allowed Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt to score an easy touchdown through that gap.

Despite Collins’ slow reaction on that play, Browns interim head coach and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said he saw no problems with Collins’ effort – via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.

"“It’s not him. I have to coach better. All of us have to play better on defense. We have to tackle better. Not just him, we all do. Those things are addressed daily, and we have to practice better in those kinds of things and we have talked about it.”"

Although Williams said it is a team problem and not a Collins problem, Williams having a tamer attitude since becoming the interim head coach could have prevented him from calling the linebacker out in front of the media.

Even if Williams does not see an issue with Collins, the linebacker has become a liability for the defense. His tackling has been sub-par and he has not been much of a play-maker in coverage.

This season, Collins has made 62 tackles, two sacks, six tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and an interception. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Collins has a 38.7 tackling grade (which PFF categorizes as below average) and a 52.7 coverage grade (categorized as poor).

When the Browns play in their nickel defense, oftentimes it is Collins that is taken off the field. But with Christian Kirksey on injured reserve, Collins is going to be on the field more often.

With the injuries across the defense, the Browns are going to need Collins to step up for the rest of the season. He needs to show consistent effort, as the Browns are going to need Collins to make plays all over the field.

If Collins continues to struggle, there may be a chance that he loses playing time to backup linebacker Tanner Vallejo. Vallejo replaced Kirksey against the Chiefs and was consistently making plays, potentially earning more playing time.

Williams has shown that he is not afraid to shake some things up. With how much the Browns need reliable players on the defensive side of the ball, Collins needs to return to his dynamic playing style if he wants to maintain his playing time.