{"id":65504,"date":"2019-05-18T09:43:18","date_gmt":"2019-05-18T13:43:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=65504"},"modified":"2021-05-30T20:50:25","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T00:50:25","slug":"new-england-patriots-camp-battles-jamie-collins-vs-elandon-roberts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/05\/18\/new-england-patriots-camp-battles-jamie-collins-vs-elandon-roberts\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Patriots Camp Battles: Jamie Collins vs Elandon Roberts"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New England Patriots<\/a> boast an enviable amount of depth<\/a> at the linebacker position. As of this posting, the Patriots have three great starters in Dont\u2019a Hightower<\/a>, Kyle Van Noy<\/a><\/strong>, and Ja\u2019Whaun Bentley<\/strong><\/a> complemented by Elandon Roberts<\/a><\/strong> and the newly-signed Jamie Collins<\/a><\/strong>. However, the bad part of depth is that the Patriots will need to move on from at least one good player.<\/p>\n

New England probably won\u2019t carry more than five linebackers and, with special teams stud Brandon King<\/a><\/strong> signed for two more years<\/a>, somebody will have to be the odd man out. Hightower, Van Noy, and Bentley are roster locks, which means that Jamie Collins and Elandon Roberts are battling for one spot.<\/p>\n

Jamie Collins vs Elandon Roberts: New England Patriots Training Camp Battles<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What Jamie Collins Brings<\/h3>\n

Jamie Collins obviously has the higher pedigree, as the former Second-Team All-Pro was one of New England\u2019s best defenders in 2014 and 2015. The former second-round pick was notorious for his freak athleticism and explosive plays. Collins was at his best when lined up in the middle of the field, as he provided strong play against the run and was one of the most dangerous blitzers in football. While he hasn\u2019t looked like his old self in recent years, he still managed to play over 90% of Cleveland\u2019s snaps last season and record 104 combined tackles.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/DLPatsThoughts\/status\/1129719096382230528<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/ftbeard_17\/status\/1129179184398340096<\/p>\n

That said, he still has some shortcomings as a player. Collins struggles when aligned outside, which might have something to do with his recent drop in play. According to Pro Football Focus, Collins only spent 11.4% of his snaps on the edge with New England. With the Browns, however, Collins played on the edge on 31.4% of snaps.<\/p>\n

\n

Jamie Collins certainly had a larger impact during his time w\/ the Patriots; how'd he do it?<\/p>\n

Collins spent just 11.4% of his snaps in New England along the edge while he spent 31.8% in Cleveland at edge defender.<\/p>\n

His career grade w\/ each:<\/p>\n

\u2013 NE: 90.3 overall
\u2013 CLV: 54.2 overall https:\/\/t.co\/XDDwHvXn0Q<\/a><\/p>\n

— PFF (@PFF) May 15, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n