Denver Broncos: Jalen Collins makes a ton of sense now
The Denver Broncos are looking at two games without arguably their best cornerback, Aqib Talib. Jalen Collins, a former 2nd round pick, makes sense…
The Denver Broncos will be without Aqib Talib for two games, pending the results of his anticipated suspension.
In case you hadn’t heard, Talib was suspended for a fight he had with Oakland Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree, which started on one play before the fight, where Crabtree clearly punched Talib’s teammate, Chris Harris Jr.
After Crabtree’s actions, Talib retaliated by snatching the chain off of Crabtree’s neck. The chain was reportedly taped onto Crabtree’s neck due to Talib having snatched his chain almost a year ago.
Talib has now grabbed two chains off of the neck of Crabtree, this time resulting in the ejection and now suspension of both players.
If the two-game suspension holds, essentially, Talib’s actions will cost him three games. He barely played on Sunday against the Raiders. It will also open up the door for more opportunities for the Broncos to get their young players on the field, but with Lorenzo Doss being waived on Thanksgiving, there’s no telling what kind of rotation we will see.
Even without Talib, the Broncos have a few excellent cornerbacks, starting with Chris Harris Jr. and Bradley Roby. But if Talib is suspended for two games, that’s two games where the Broncos will have only three cornerbacks on the active roster.
Talib’s suspension would also open up a roster spot, which the Broncos could look to fill quickly.
One of my favorite activities is to play armchair general manager, and I have been suggesting on Twitter for a week that the Broncos take a calculated risk on 2015 second round pick Jalen Collins, who has been suspended by the NFL twice for PED usage and was recently cut by the Atlanta Falcons.
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No team claimed Collins on waivers, potentially a bad sign for his current ability to pass a test, but if he’s clean, this is a player that is worth the risk.
Collins was really raw as a prospect coming out of LSU, but my goodness did he have physical tools in spades. This guy is 6-foot-1, over 200 pounds, and has speed, leaping ability, quickness in a short area, and ball skills.
This kid is an incredible talent that’s just out there for the taking, and the time is perfect for the Broncos to take the risk. They have failed miserably on the majority of their 2015 NFL Draft class, so in a way, this would be some sort of atonement.
The only option the Broncos have in-house is rookie Marcus Rios, who has been on the practice squad all year. If things go according to how the Broncos have operated most of the season, he’d be the likely call-up depending on how he’s been working throughout the season.
But if you’re looking for a high upside move, offer Jalen Collins a two or three-year contract that is incentive-laden and easy to get out of. That’s a move worth making for a team that might be looking at a future without Talib in the coming months anyway.
Collins would be a worthy risk to take at this point.