There was talk before the season about whether Washington Football Team safety Landon Collins should be moved to linebacker.
He denied it would happen, and WFT defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio refuted the thought as well.
Eight weeks into the season Collins just played his second game at linebacker, and he looked good doing it.
After leading the team in tackles in his first game as a linebacker, Collins came in second in Week 8’a loss against the Broncos with eight of them compared to fellow linebacker Cole Holcomb's nine.
Rookie linebacker Jamin Davis also contributed from the middle of the defense, with two tackles on the day.
On top of his tackles, Collins got into Denver Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for a sack, and seemed to have forced a fumble late in the game, although the NFL's official stats don't credit him with that as of right now.
When the move was announced Collins would be playing much closer to the line of scrimmage, he said he didn't like it, but would do it.
Add the frustration from losing as well, and it's a recipe for slow play and low motivation. But Collins isn't letting all of this get to him, mentally.
"Playing this game so long, you just try to keep the guys that we need tuned in," Collins told media after the team's Week 8 loss to Denver. "So we can maybe make those plays that we need to make."
Whether from the position move or the losing streak, Collins certainly didn't look frustrated on the field Sunday, and his playing time reflects confidence from the coaches he'll not only do the job, but do it well.
Between Week 7 and Week 8, Collins' playing time went up significantly from just 48 percent of defensive snaps against the Packers, to 89 against the Broncos.
How much better is he doing?
According to Pro Football Reference, Collins was third on the team in tackles through six weeks, but is now second, trailing only Holcomb at the break.
In the past two weeks, the veteran defender has compiled a total of 15 tackles, or 7.5 per game. Currently, he's on pace to have around 115 tackles for the year. This would come just two tackles shy of the 117 he racked up in 2019, his first year in Washington.
However, the 7.5 tackles per game now has him on pace to exceed that total by nearly a game's worth of his previous pace, before making the schematic move these past two weeks.
Better yet, Collins has more tackles for losses in the past two games than he had all season leading up to the move, and is well on pace to have his best year ever in that category.
And if he can get a sack once every two games or more, he'll set a career-high there as well.
Really, the move has been good for Collins' play, the team's defensive production, and is one reason the WFT offense outgained their opponent for the second-straight week.
As the team evaluates every position, they'll be happy with what they've seen here. Leaving little doubt No. 26 has found his new home, and permanent position, for the 2021 Washington Football Team defense.
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