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It has been quite a roller coaster ride for Jalen Collins. It feels like just over a year ago he was eaten alive during the Super Bowl, then fell to the bottom of the depth chart, then was eaten alive by practice squad player Damore’ea Stringfellow in the fourth quarter of a preseason game.
There were a lot of spirited debates surrounding Collins last season, which generally boiled down to some wanting to keep him for his upside against those that realized the team can never rely on him.
Collins has been jobless since his last suspension was complete, and he has had no reported interest since then. It was possible he was already out of the NFL before he got hit with another suspension.
Source: CB Jalen Collins, a 2015 second round pick of the Falcons, has been suspended for the first 10 games of the 2018 season.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 9, 2018
Collins reportedly violated the league’s substance abuse policy, which is actually better than the two-year ban he faces if he uses performance enhancing drugs.
We covered how there was no way the team would ever take him back here and here. First, Collins rarely played up to his talent level. Assuming he developed into the player he could be, the Falcons would need to pay him. And you can’t dish out major dollars to a player that has more suspensions than NFL seasons. We wanted him to become that player and turn his life around, but Collins isn’t ready for it. The team would have to risk being without a starting corner at any point, which is a terrible way to build a team.
Collins has certainly played his last snap in the NFL, and may struggle to find a taker in CFL. What a waste of serious talent, and a waste of a second-round pick.