Getty New San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Maliek Collins
The San Francisco 49ers are adding another proven veteran to their defensive line with a trade for Houston Texans DT Maliek Collins. Collins has been around the block, but is still in his athletic prime and is coming off the best season of his career.
Some may have thought the 49ers were done adding to the defensive line after signing ex-Cleveland Browns DT Jordan Elliott, but they went back in on March 13. The trade was first reported by ESPN insider Adam Schefter.
“Trade: the Texans are trading defensive tackle Maliek Collins to the 49ers, per source,” Schefter wrote on X, before replying with an update. “Compensation update: 49ers are trading a 7th-round pick to the Texans for Maliek Collins, per source.”
Collins may not be a household name, but he has played a ton of football in his 8 seasons in the NFL. And while a seventh-round pick as a price tag doesn’t attract a lot of eyeballs, it makes up for his sizable salary.
Collins will be a major part of the 49ers’ defensive line for that reason alone. He will earn $8 million in salary in 2024 per Spotrac, a significant chunk more than Elliott’s new deal.
Maliek Collins Had Career Year With Texans in 2023
Other than a one-year stint with the Las Vegas Raiders that was disrupted by injury, Collins has been impressively consistent. In total, he has 112 starts in 8 seasons and has recorded a sack in every season except one.
But Collins was able to hit another gear in 2023. According to Pro Football Reference, the 29-year-old set a career-best with 41 tackles. He also matched his career-best for sacks with 5, chipping in a pass defended along the way.
Any concerns about his quality of play after his latest contract were summarily dismissed. However, the Texans have been making several big additions which has prompted Collins’ trade to the 49ers.
As San Francisco looks to move past Arik Armstead, Collins is a solid choice. The 49ers may not be improved after the departure of Armstead, but it’s hard to say they’ve gotten worse.
49ers Add Former Browns DT
As mentioned above, San Francisco also added former Browns defensive tackle Jordan Elliott. A bit younger than Collins at 26 years old, Elliott has steadily improved in each of the past few seasons.
After just four starts and 0 tackles for loss in his first two seasons, Elliott has taken a significant step forward with the Browns. He notched 2 sacks in 2022 with 5 total TFLs, while making 2.5 sacks in 2023 with 3 total TFLs. Elliott has also notched 3 passes defended over those two seasons.
This is partially due to his playing time, as he’s started 31 games over the past two years. San Francisco is investing in him with an average yearly pay of $5 million, but it seems like a safe bet.
The former Missouri Tiger could be part of a platoon to replace Armstead with Collins. If San Francisco can’t find an outright replacement, then having two guys is better than one. Plus, Collins’ and Elliott’s combined salaries will cost significantly less than Armstead’s $19.5 million in salary and bonuses.