The Cleveland Browns have made a major addition to their defensive line in NFL free agency.
The Cleveland Browns revealed earlier this week that they were designating defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson as a post-June 1 cut, and apparently, they have already found his replacement.
The Browns have signed former San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Maliek Collins to a two-year, $20 million contract, via ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The deal, which was negotiated by top NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus, contains $13 million in guaranteed money, which is actually a steal for Cleveland.
Collins played in every game this past season, registering 33 tackles, five sacks and a couple of fumble recoveries.
The 29-year-old has bounced around quite a bit throughout his NFL career, as he was originally drafted by the Dallas Cowboys back in 2016 but has also played for the Las Vegas Raiders and Houston Texans.
While Collins has never been a superstar, he has been a steady contributor everywhere he has been, with his best campaign probably coming with the Texans in 2023 when he rattled off 41 tackles and five sacks in 16 contests.
Collins also posted an impressive pass-rushing grade of 70 over at Pro Football Focus this past season, so he should provide Myles Garrett with some much-needed assistance in getting after opposing quarterbacks.
The Browns entered free agency with very limited financial flexibility, but they have actually done a pretty solid job plugging some holes. Obviously, there is still a lot of work left to be done, and Cleveland has a plethora of NFL Draft picks to help fill those gaps.
We’ll see if the Browns can get creative the remainder of the offseason.
