30 players who will avoid bust status with a breakout campaign in 2024

11. Zaven Collins, Arizona Cardinals

Zaven Collins has been in the league for three seasons. One season, he looked like he was on the cusp of being the next great linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals. The other two seasons, he’s left it all to be desired. Unfortunately for Collins, that supreme season was in the middle. He had a disappointing rookie season and a less-than-stellar third season in the league.

Last year, Collins had 41 combined tackles in 17 games after he had 100 a season prior. He’s also had trouble with turnovers, only recording two interceptions and one forced fumble in his career. There are just some scary trends in his stat line. 

One reason why this might be a surprising addition to this list is Collins literally just signed a contract extension. We were just as confused about that contract, which is worth $14 million over two seasons. This came after the Cards declined his fifth-year option, which would have given him a guaranteed $13 million at the end of his current deal.

It sounds like the Cardinals know what Collins is worth, but the general public doesn’t. He seems like he could be a bust if he isn’t able to play more like his 2022 self. This is a strangely important year for the Cardinals. They had some nice wins last season, but in reality, they only had four total. Kyler Murray looked decent, but again, they had four wins. Some people were impressed by Jonathan Gannon in his first season as head coach, but again, four wins. This team needs to show something this season, as does Collins.