Which 5 Patriots players have had the best training camp?
2. Jamie Collins
Jamie Collins has so far been the feel-good story of the Patriots preseason.
He was a rising star within the organization from 2014-2015, but somewhere along the way, the relationship between player and team began to break down. Belichick supposedly grew frustrated with Collins’ inconsistencies – particularly when it came to effort on plays in practice as well as games – while Collins claims he was never given the opportunity to showcase his full skill-set or become the kind of player he wanted to be in Belichick’s rigid institution.
Collins was finally more or less exiled to Cleveland on Halloween night of the 2016 season. Given every chance (financially and otherwise) to become a game-wrecking three-down terror on defense, Collins was good but not great over the course of 30 games with the Browns. When the team decided to release him in March to save cash, Collins found himself without an NFL home… but not for long.
He signed with his old squad in May, admitting he was initially surprised to learn the Patriots had come calling for his services, given how messy their split had been three years ago.
But perhaps both sides are wiser now than they were in 2016. Collins has kept his head down and his mouth shut throughout practices and training camp, instead choosing to let his play on the field do the talking for him. In return, Belichick has rewarded him by offering more and more reps alongside some of the Patriots’ starters.
As was the case with Jackson, the biggest hurdle for Collins seeing the field during the regular season is New England’s impressive depth at his position. Linebacker, like cornerback, is widely viewed as a position of strength for the Patriots in 2019. Dont’a Hightower and Kyle Van Noy return as surefire starters, and the team is also getting intriguing youngster Ja’Whaun Bentley back from injury too.
Even with all the competition around him, it would be a real shock if Collins got cut before September 8, simply because of how impressive he’s been in camp so far – and how pure a talent he remains in the NFL overall.