Houston Texans Come To Terms With Ex-Third-Round Pick Defensive Tackle

The Houston Texans have ramped up their defensive needs with the reported signing of Maliek Collins on Wednesday, June 14.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, both sides sealed the deal on a contract extension with Collins accepting a $23 million contract extension.

"The deal was negotiated by Texans' GM Nick Caserio and director of football administration Andrew Brown with Collins' agents Drew Rosenhaus and Ryan Matha," the scribe wrote on his Twitter post

The new deal gives Collins a bit of a raise and reportedly includes a $20 million guarantee.

In his previous contract, the 28-year-old was earning $17 million with $8.5 million of that guaranteed.

This will be his third year in the NFL, having had previous stops with the Dallas Cowboys (2016-2019) and the Las Vegas Raiders (2020).

The Kansas native had a career-high 37 tackles to go with 3.5 sacks over 15 games last NFL season.

He is projected to be a key piece in the defensive line of the Texans for the next couple of years.

Looking ahead, Collins is expected to fit in nicely with the 4-3 alignment that DeMeco Ryans is expected to implement.

He is likely to become a full-time defensive tackle according to Sam Robison of Pro Football Talk.

With the Texans in rebuilding mode, Collins was seen as one of the bright spots for the team. He started 15 games between 2021 and 2022, combining for six sacks and 18 tackles for a loss.

Now, he will be paid better, which means he will have added responsibility–particularly on the defensive side of the Texans' fence.

The Collins deal also comes not long after other defensive tackles landed new deals with their respective teams. That list includes Dexter Lawrence, Daron Payne, Jeffery Simmons and Ed Oliver.

There are still other names expected to land new contracts this NFL offseason. Yet to come to terms with their teams include Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs and Quinnen Williams of the New York Jets.

In related news, there remain questions in the air on whether J.J. Watt is officially retired.

According to a report by CBS Sports, Watt has yet to fill out his retirement papers with the NFL.

This was despite his retiring last NFL season in an emotional game that saw him record two sacks in his allegedly final NFL game.

Moreover, the five-time first-team All-Pro does not intend to sign a one-day deal with the Texans although this is tied to him being inducted into the club's Ring of Honor.

"I personally just don't really understand or see the reason for it," Watt stated. "It's more just a ceremonial piece of paper. I think that the Ring of Honor and all that comes with it is more than enough."