New York Giants safety Landon Collins’ season officially came to an end on Dec. 6th.
That’s when he was officially placed on injured reserve, according to the team’s official website. Collins, an impending free agent, will undergo shoulder surgery. He may have played his last game for the New York Giants versus the Chicago Bears this past Sunday.
The two-time Pro Bowl safety has a partially torn rotator cuff that required immediate repair. Until his injury, he led the team with 96 tackles, but he did not have an interception or quarterback sack this season, according to Pro Football Reference.
Collins was one of the few value picks by former general manager Jerry Reese. Landon Collins was selected with the first selection in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft (No. 33 overall). Reese was able to move up, via trade, in order to pick the former University of Alabama star.
Per salary evaluation website, Spotrac, Collins will be completing a four-year, $6.12 contract with the G-Men, with an average annual salary of just a bit more than $1.5 million per season.
Depending upon his bill of health, Collins could command upwards of $50 million on the open market.
The G-Men could also slap the franchise tag on him, likely costing team a bit more money in the 2019 salary cap equation next season, but ensuring his healthy return to the field.
Defensive back shuffle
To replace Collins on the roster, according to Giants.com, the team added journeyman defensive back Kenny Ladler. Ladler has bounced around the NFL, and even had a two-year stint in the CFL.
Per the team’s official website:
“Ladler, 6-1 and 200 pounds, entered the NFL as a rookie free agent in 2014 with the Buffalo Bills. He played collegiately at Vanderbilt. Ladler played in two games on special teams for the Bills that season before going on injured reserve with a broken forearm.”
The New York Giants defensive backfield remains up for grabs in 2019. With the exception of supplemental draft pick, Sam Beal, currently on injured reserve after also undergoing shoulder surgery, no player appears guaranteed a 2019 return.
The New York Giants and Landon Collins will have to hammer out a new contract. Starting free safety Curtis Riley has not acquitted himself well in a starting role, and neither has cornerback B.W. Webb.
Veteran safety Michael Thomas will likely return based upon his special teams prowess. Undrafted free agent rookies Sean Chandler and Grant Haley have shown flashes, and must continue to grow into bonafide NFL talent.
Veteran cornerback Janoris Jenkins has seemed to make a late push for the G-Men to bring him back for a fourth season, despite a 2019 cap hit of $14.75 million, per Spotrac. The intersection of production, health and salary will determine who general manager Dave Gettleman keeps on the roster moving forward, so these final four games are important.
