Landon Collins: Former Alabama DB ready to shine for Washington in NFL

Landon Collins is entering 2021 fully healthy after tearing his Achilles tendon on Oct. 25 against the Dallas Cowboys last season. The Washington safety says he feels the best he has in his NFL career and will play in Thursday night’s preseason opener against New England.

“They gave me nine to 12 months,” Collins said of his recovery in a NFL Network interview on Tuesday. “I came back in seven-and-a-half months. And everybody’s like how did I do that, and it’s really just hard work and determination.”

The former Alabama All-American signed a 6-year $86 million deal with Washington in 2019 as an unrestricted free agent. Collins was part of the Alabama team that won the BCS National Championship in 2012, and was a key piece on the 2014 Crimson Tide squad that fell to Ohio State in the first College Football Playoff semifinal.

The 33rd overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft by the New York Giants shined immediately in his transition to the NFL. Collins was named to the Pro Football Writer’s Association All-Rookie team in his inaugural pro season and earned three Pro-Bowl nods in New York.

In 2019, Collins was an anchor on the young, ascending Washington defensive unit. He started 15 games, recording 117 tackles, the most during his NFL career. The safety added four pass deflections, a sack and a forced fumble that year.

Though Collins had a slower start to 2020 before the injury, he says he feels the best he ever has.

“I feel great,” Collins said. “I feel awesome. I feel like myself again. I’m in way better shape than before. … I feel in top-notch shape. I worked hard, and I had to work hard because of the injury, and it just kept me determined on what I needed to do.”

Landon Collins has something to prove

Collins has earned a bevy of awards and honors at both Alabama and in the NFL, but the Washington safety still feels like he has a chip on his shoulder heading into 2021.

“I want to prove that I’m the best safety always on the field and around the league,” Collins said. “I have done it before, and I can do it again. That’s what they brought me here for.”

With the emergence of seventh-round former Arkansas safety Kamren Curl a season ago, the addition of a fully-healthy Collins should be a terrifying thought for opposing defensive coordinators.