Dallas Cowboys rookie DT Maliek Collins suffered a broken foot in OTAs that will hold him out for a while.
The Dallas Cowboys entered this off season with an obvious need for more pass rush ability up front. Now, one of the only players who they added to the mix to help them in that department has a broken foot.
The Cowboys were not major players in free agency, and did not select anybody to help rush the passer up front in the early portion of the draft. That being said, they did attack their pass rush issues in the third-round by taking DT Maliek Collins (67th overall) and in the fourth-round by taking DE Charles Tapper (101st overall).
Unfortunately one-half of that pass rush draft haul is now injured, as the Cowboys’ official website reports that Collins has suffered a broken right foot. The injury took place last week during the first-round of OTAs.
"“The third-round draft pick has already undergone surgery, and the initial timetable for recovery is expected to be 10-to-12 weeks — which would have him set to return to the field somewhere around the tail end of training camp.”"
While Collins could easily be back and ready to play for the start of the regular season, missing out on a huge majority of the off season workouts and training camp is obviously not ideal, especially for a rookie player.
Collins was expected to come in and make an impact for the Cowboys as an interior rusher at the three-technique defensive tackle position. While I imagine that Collins will still play a role up front for the Cowboys this season, his ability to make an immediate impact will be limited.
There is a significant learning curve from college to the NFL and training camp is an important time for rookies to learn how to play in the NFL. He may end up being alright, but losing that ability to learn the speed of the game in his rookie training camp could become significant.
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