Jamie Collins Sr.

Why Bill Belichick and the Patriots Traded Jamie Collins

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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One day after defeating the division-rival Buffalo Bills, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots sent shock waves through the NFL by trading star linebacker Jamie Collins to the Cleveland Browns for a compensatory draft pick.

Why would the team with the best record in the NFL trade away arguably the best defensive player on the roster?

There are plenty of outlandish theories out there, but the truth is there’s only one reason. Belichick felt that Collins wasn’t doing his job.

Collins has been known as somewhat of a freelancer on defense, something Belichick can’t stand. If the Patriots are running a specific play, he expects all 11 defenders to be where they’re supposed to be.

What allows Collins to go under-the-radar when he is out of position is his freak athletic ability. He possesses more than enough speed and strength to recover when he’s slightly out of position.

The issue this season, as pointed out by former Patriots assistant Michael Lombardi, is Collins has been ignoring his responsibility completely.

Here’s a look at the play Lombardi is referring to.

Collins, lining up at right outside linebacker, inexcusably is caught guessing on the play. Rather than do his job and prevent the run from getting past the second level of the defense, he sees an open lane and tries to shoot the gap. He finds himself about five yards in the backfield, but is way too late to make a play.

Sep 22, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots outside linebacker Jamie Collins (91) and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels celebrate a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

It was all or nothing for Collins on this play, and it has been on multiple occasions this season. Rather than hold the Bills to a modest gain and bring up third down, Collins went for the knockout on the second play of the game. He failed as the run gained 28 yards and set up a field goal to open the game.

This style of play might land Collins on a weekly highlight reel, but it also landed him in Belichick’s doghouse. Even after a big AFC East win, Belichick was not pleased with the play of his defense. When specifically asked about his linebackers on the Monday morning conference call, Belichick had this to say.

“Good at times and then other times…we were all disappointed. We just need to do a better job.”

At this point, Belichick likely felt there was no use trying to get through to Collins this season. He already has a Super Bowl ring and, according to Adam Schefter, is looking to cash-in this offseason.

While Belichick the head coach preaches one game at a time, Belichick the general manager has an eye toward the future. There are some benefits of making the trade now.

Collins wasn’t going to be back next season and rookie Elandon Roberts has earned more playing time. The sixth-round pick out of Houston played 36 percent of the snaps against Buffalo.

Oct 16, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Elandon Roberts (52) knocks down a pass by Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) during the first quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

That percentage would have been much higher had Buffalo not been trailing for much of the game. New England utilized Roberts in running situations and Collins primarily on passing downs. While Collins is a much more athletic linebacker, Roberts plays more disciplined. He led the entire FBS last season with 88 solo tackles.

In Roberts, Belichick has someone who he feels he can trust to do his job. While Roberts will be thrust into the starting role, the Patriots have loaded up on depth at the position this year, adding guys such as Shea McClellin, Barkevious Mingo and Kyle Van Noy.

The biggest disparity between Collins and Roberts is their coverage ability. Collins has been good in pass coverage (although Owen Daniels in the AFC Championship Game and Marshawn Lynch in the Super Bowl proved he can be beat) while Roberts is more of a downhill run stopper. So Roberts may not be the answer on all three downs, but the Patriots have the pieces to survive without Collins.

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Shipping Collins to Cleveland may seem like a punishment, but by trading him to the Browns, the Patriots significantly decreased the odds of him landing with a contender in the future. The Browns will have an exclusive negotiating window, the right to place the franchise tag on him and plenty of cap space to sign him long term. This works out much better for the Patriots than just letting Collins hit the open market.

Belichick is a Hall-of-Fame coach, but his ability to both coach and act as general manager is unmatched in any sport. While the coach is “on to Seattle,” the general manager knows exactly what lies ahead in 2017 and 2018. What the Patriots received in return for Collins or Chandler Jones earlier in the year is meaningless. It’s about the cap space and creating flexibility on the 53-man roster.

New England entered the season with Collins, Jones, Dont’a Hightower and Malcolm Butler all in the final year of their rookie deals. Jones and Collins have now been shipped away, and the Patriots will almost certainly place the franchise tag on Hightower if the two sides can’t reach an agreement. That leaves only one long-term deal the team needs to worry about.