Latest news with #ZavenCollins
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
LB Zaven Collins named layer the Arizona Cardinals should trade
At this time of year, when we look at NFL rosters, some positions on some teams look like they have players who will need a change of scenery, for one reason or another. For example, the Arizona Cardinals completely retooled their defensive line and their edge defender rooms. That could leave a contributor from a previous season with a lesser role. Advertisement Sometimes, they don't fit as well. Other times, it is a case of a contract. Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport named a player on each roster who should be traded. For the Cardinals, it is outside linebacker Zaven Collins. Back in 2021, the Arizona Cardinals made edge-rusher Zaven Collins the 16th overall pick in the NFL draft. But Collins didn't actually start his professional career as an edge-rusher—the 6'5' 260-pounder spent the first two seasons of his career as an off-ball linebacker before kicking outside in 2023. The results have been disappointing. Collins has shown some flashes, but he just hasn't been able to generate consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Last year's five sacks marked a career high, but with Josh Sweat now in the desert, Baron Browning back after joining the Cardinals in-season last year and BJ Ojulari returning from injury, Collins could find himself toward the back end of the pass-rushing rotation in Arizona. Collins signed a two-year, $14 million extension last fall, so his salary is hardly cost-prohibitive. There could be a team out there that believes it can do a better job of unlocking Collins' talent than the Cardinals have. And a change of scenery could be the best thing for the 26-year-old. As noted, the Cardinals spent big money on Sweat. They gave Browning almost the same deal that Collins has and Ojulari is coming back. Plus, they drafted Jordan Burch in the third round. Will Collins still get playing time? Well, we have to remember that the coaches on Arizona's staff love Collins. And while some might be disappointed in his sack totals, he did lead the team with five last season. And getting sacks aren't his greatest skill. Advertisement However, he is a very good player at all the other things an edge rusher should do. He sets the edge and plays the run extremely well. He moves in coverage well. He can kick inside. He works hard. We can expect him to probably be the base-down starter with Sweat. Would a change of scenery work for him? Perhaps, but he is in the final year of his contract. That will likely happen next offseason. Trading him now without knowing what the other players will be like, especially when the team knows that, in a moment, the best laid plans can be ruined by injuries (Ojulari last season, followed by Dennis Gardeck's torn ACL in the season). The Cardinals might make trades before the season, but don't expect Collins to be one of those guys. Advertisement Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts. This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: NFL trade rumors: Zaven Collins named player Cardinals should move
USA Today
31-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2021 first-round draft has Arizona Cardinals going with different LB than Zaven Collins
2021 first-round draft has Arizona Cardinals going with different LB than Zaven Collins PFN says the Cardinals would take LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah instead of Zaven Collins in 2021 first-round redraft Four years later, we can judge how the 2021 NFL draft went and whether teams would have or should have made the player selections they did. The Arizona Cardinals drafted linebacker Zaven Collins 16th overall in 2021. In a redraft of the first round of the 2021 draft by Pro Football Network, the Cardinals would not have taken Collins, but they would have gotten a linebacker still. The redraft has the Cardinals selecting linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramorah, who enters his fifth NFL season with the Cleveland Browns. The Cardinals had the right idea taking a versatile Swiss army knife at off-ball linebacker in Round 1 of the 2021 NFL Draft. In this redraft, though, they take a player in Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah who fits that bill and has more than lived up to the hype. When the Cardinals drafted Collins, they envisioned him as the Mike linebacker and able to do other things. He was okay, but when Jonathan Gannon became head coach, he was moved to the edge. The coaches love Collins. He does everything well an outside linebacker should do except for being a great pass rusher. He had a career-high five sacks last season. But he is great against the run and good in coverage. JOK was a Pro Bowler in 2023. He would have perhaps kept the Cardinals from signing Mack Wilson, but that's about it. Both Collins and JOK are more or less on the same level, albeit now at different positions. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
USA Today
13-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
A look at the last 10 years of first-round draft picks for the Arizona Cardinals
A look at the last 10 years of first-round draft picks for the Arizona Cardinals Over the last decade, the Cardinals have had several success in the first round and a few duds. The 2025 NFL draft will commence soon, on Thursday, April 24 with the first round. Rounds 2 and 3 will follow on Friday with the remaining four rounds on Saturday the 26th. The Arizona Cardinals have selections in the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and seventh rounds. Let's look at the last several years of picks and see how those picks have worked out. Below are the last 10 years of first-round picks for the Cardinals. The last 10 years of Cardinals first-round draft picks 2024: WR Marvin Harrison Jr., DL Darius Robinson 2023: OL Paris Johnson Jr. 2022: None (pick traded to Baltimore Ravens for WR Marquise Brown) 2021: LB Zaven Collins 2020: LB Isaiah Simmons 2019: QB Kyler Murray 2018: QB Josh Rosen 2017: LB Haason Reddick 2016: DL Robert Nkemdiche The disappointments Nkemdiche was an unfettered bust. He did basically nothing for two seasons, had some production in 2018 on a terrible defense and then tore his ACL and returned overweight. Simmons had two productive seasons as an inside linebacker in 2021-2022. However, he was moved to defensive back after Jonathan Gannon was hired as head coach, didn't fit what the Cardinals wanted to do in terms of personality or play and was traded. Since then, he has done nothing. Rosen was the biggest disappointment. Drafted 10th overall with the hope he would be their franchise quarterback, he struggled as a rookie and then, following his trade after Murray was drafted first overall in 2019, did nothing in the NFL after that and washed out of the league. Robinson's rookie season in 2024 was a disappointment, but not because he looks like a bust. His season was lost to a calf injury that sidelined him half the season and then had his mother die. The successes Reddick became a success in his fourth season after floundering for three years, getting 12.5 sacks in 2020. He departed in free agency and, between 2020-2023, he had 50.5 sacks. Murray has been a success. He won Offensive Rookie of the Year, was selected twice to the Pro Bowl, led the Cardinals to the playoffs and now will enter this season as the longest-tenured starting quarterback the Cardinals have had since moving to Arizona. Zaven Collins struggled early but is beloved by the coaching staff after he was moved to the defensive edge. He led the team with five sacks in 2024 and, aside from big sack numbers, does everything well for an edge defender. Johnson looks like he can be a mainstay at left tackle and Harrison had one of the best rookie seasons at receiver in franchise history. He looks like he will be very good. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
USA Today
09-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Arizona Cardinals free agency preview: Outside linebacker
Arizona Cardinals free agency preview: Outside linebacker With free agency approaching, a look at the Cardinals' offseason needs at outside linebacker. NFL free agency begins next week on Monday with the opening of the contact and negotiation window with players whose contracts expire on March 12 and become free agents. The Arizona Cardinals will be active, although it is uncertain how aggressive they will be or how much money they will spend. But before that happens, we will take a look at each position group, see who is on the roster, who will be free agents and what their need at the position is for the offseason. Let's look at the situation on the defensive edge at outside linebacker. Outside linebackers under contract Zaven Collins: Signed through 2026, $6.0 million cap hit in 2025 BJ Ojulari: Signed through 2026, $2.3 million cap hit in 2025 Xavier Thomas: Signed through 2027, $1.1 million cap hit in 2025 Benton Whitley: Signed through 2025, $1.1 million cap hit Elliott Brown: Signed through 2027, $840,000 cap hit in 2025 Pending free agents Dennis Gardeck Baron Browning Jesse Luketa (restricted free agent) Victor Dimukeje Julian Okwara Offseason need This is a position of concern. Collins led the team with only five sacks. They believe in Ojulari's ability to be an impact pass rusher, but he will be coming off a torn ACL. They traded for Browning and want to re-sign him, so we shall see what happens. Could they be big players in free agency and use some of their extensive cap space to sign an impact player with proven production? Notable free agent edge defenders Josh Sweat Haason Reddick Joey Bosa Khalil Mack Harold Landry Preston Smith Chase Young Charles Omenihu Azeez Ojulari Malcolm Koonce Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 Arizona Cardinals offseason roster profile: OLB Zaven Collins
The Arizona Cardinals are in offseason mode and days away from the start of free agency. Leaing up to the new league year, we will take a look at each player on the roster or signed to a reserve deal and break down where they stand with the team. We will look at their 2024 season, their contract status and what their status is for the coming offseason and 2025 season. Next up is OLB Zaven Collins. Collins started all 17 games last season and was second on the team among all linebackers with 602 snaps (55 percent). He was fifth on the team with 57 tackles (33 solo, seven for loss) and was the team leader with 5.0 sacks for 49 yards. Collins had five pressures, seven quarterback hits, two forced fumbles and one pass defensed. During the 2024 season, Collins signed a two-year extension that has him under contract through the 2026 season. His base salary for 2025 is $3.8 million of which $3.25 million is guaranteed. Collins is one of the team's core linebackers, and there is one school of thought that if Kyzir White isn't re-signed, it would make sense to move Collins inside to the Mike where he would play more snaps and have added impact. It will be interesting to know what the team's new linebackers coaches (Christian Garcia/inside and Matt Feeney/outside) think. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts. This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: 2025 Arizona Cardinals offseason roster profile: OLB Zaven Collins
