Cardinals OLB Entering Make-or-Break Season

Arizona Cardinals OLB Zaven Collins has a lot to prove moving into 2024.

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Zaven Collins (25) during organized team activities in Tempe on May 20, 2024. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY

The Arizona Cardinals declined the fifth-year option of Zaven Collins moving into 2024, setting the fomer first-round pick up for free agency after this coming season.

Collins - drafted out of Tulsa - initially played off-ball linebacker before transitioning to an edge rusher once Jonathan Gannon's staff took over last offseason.

Collins didn't exactly fill the stat sheet last season, though most didn't in Arizona's 4-13 season.

As the Cardinals approach 2024, they didn't add any major names to their edge department, signaling their belief in Collins.

It's a make-or-break season for Collins, says CBS Sports.

"Collins wasn't deployed properly -- based on his collegiate film and usage -- until Jonathan Gannon took the reins in Arizona last season. Before that, Collins was almost strictly deployed as a classic off-ball linebacker at nearly 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds. As a rookie, he was sent after the quarterback a mere 16 times. In Year 2, just 127 times. This is a strapping, do-everything outside linebacker who registered a pressure on 27 of his 117 pass-rushing opportunities in his final two seasons at Tulsa.

"Gannon utilized Collins with his collegiate film in mind -- he was asked to rush the passer 272 times (more than double his previous career high in the NFL), and he rewarded the Cardinals with 30 pressures. But even the uptick in production that came with somewhat of a position move last year did not mean Collins became a star, someone bound to earn a mega second contract with the team that drafted him.

"Is an extension with the Cardinals possible? Absolutely. And it'll likely come with more pass-rushing effectiveness in Gannon's scheme in 2024. However, if Collins remains an average coverage linebacker and run-stopper without the outside-rushing speciality, he'll be a prime low-to-mid level free-agent add for another club in the 2025 offseason, as the Cardinals declined to exercise his fifth-year option."

Collins has been heralded by Arizona's staff for his size, speed and overall football IQ. There's serious hope from the Cardinals he can piece things together with a full season of experience under his belt.

Collins met with reporters earlier this offseason and said nothing's changing on his end despite the option not being picked up.

"We're just going to go in, show up to work every single day and I've shown up every single day, work every day. Still leading the room like I've always done, still coaching guys who are messing up, and take coaching from the guys when I mess up," said Collins.

Collins' fifth-year option was worth $13.2 million.

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