Washington Football Team: Players team could trade away before deadline

S Landon Collins

Just two years into a six-year contract with Washington, Landon Collins is struggling. After a decent first season in which he played well as a tackler, Collins has regressed in his second season. His angling has been off which has impacted his tackling, his best skill, and he hasn’t rotated well in coverage either.

Collins was supposed to be one of the long-term strong points of the Washington secondary. Instead, he has been a disappointment, at least in 2020. He still has talent, is only 26, and has made some splash plays this year, so he could improve in time. But given the state of the team and Collins’ contract, Washington could decide to move him… if they can find a taker.

Because of Collins’ issues (especially in coverage), it may be hard to find a buyer for him. He’s making a lot of money, so only teams with cap space will be able to target him. Perhaps the Colts or the Browns, two teams that could use some extra safety depth and talent at strong safety, could consider making a move for him, but aside from that, it’s hard to find any potential takers.

It seems more likely that Washington will hold onto Collins for the rest of the season and give him a chance to redeem himself. If he continues to struggle, they could consider an offseason trade or they could give him one more year to prove himself while adding competition at the safety spot.

Collins could be moved, but of the team’s trade chips, he may be the hardest to move between his play, contract, and the relatively solid depth of talent available on the free-agent safety market (headlined by Earl Thomas and Tony Jefferson).