Former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks knows the ins and outs of this league, providing keen insight in his notebook. Today’s installment covers:
- A dynamic defender playing the game at the highest possible level in 2024.
- A would-be contender’s Achilles’ heel — is this season unavoidably doomed?
But first, a look at a young wide receiver who’s taking a scintillating star turn …
Houston’s emergence as an AFC heavyweight has made a superstar of C.J. Stroud, and understandably so. The Texans’ aerial attack sparked last season’s worst-to-first takeover of the AFC South (and ensuing playoff win), with opponents unable to slow down a rookie quarterback who averaged a league-best 273.9 yards per game. But while the football world has rightfully raved about the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year as a top-tier player at the game’s most important position, it is time to give his WR1 some love as an elite playmaker on the perimeter.
Nico Collins enjoyed a breakout season in 2023 with 80 catches, 1,297 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. The 6-foot-4, 224-pounder dominated one-on-one matchups in his third pro campaign, relying on his superior size, length and athleticism to overwhelm defenders in space. Collins’ balance, body control and agility make him a rare find as a big-bodied pass catcher with polished route-running skills — and he’s taken another big step forward in the early goings of this season. Now, with Stroud displaying exceptional confidence in his supersized WR1 in crucial moments, we’re all witnessing the rise of a budding superstar at the wide receiver position.
Atlanta’s OT win over Tampa Bay on Thursday Night Football already has us into Week 5, but through the first four weeks of action, Collins comfortably led the league in receiving yards (489) and ranked second in catches (30). He also paced the NFL with 25 receiving first downs while tying for first in receptions of 20-plus yards (seven), exhibiting a unique ability to thrive as both a chain-moving possession receiver and a big-play threat.
Last Sunday, while performing my duties as the sideline analyst for the Jaguars, I had a chance to witness Collins’ dominance from the field level. The 25-year-old was unstoppable in Houston’s 24-20 win over Jacksonville, showcasing his electric game with 12 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown. From his clutch grabs between the hashes on various in-breaking routes at intermediate depth to his acrobatic snags outside the numbers, Collins spearheaded the Texans’ passing game against a defense attempting to neutralize his impact with tilted coverage in his direction. Despite facing extra attention, Collins wore out the Jags with big play after big play, often in crucial moments. The Michigan product displayed the clutch playmaking ability scouts and coaches covet in a WR1.
Collins’ inspired performance didn’t surprise his quarterback, who relayed to reporters in the postgame what he told Collins when they first linked up following Stroud’s selection as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
“I go back to when I first met Nico on the field during OTAs, and I told him, ‘You’re a superstar, and I’m going to make sure people know that,’ ” Stroud recalled. “I feel like ever since then, he’s had a swagger and a confidence starting from last year, and it’s just rolling now.”
Surveying the landscape, Nico is not only the best receiver in H-Town, but he is on the verge of joining the likes of Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase, among a few others, as one of the premier pass catchers in all of football. Collins exhibits the dominant traits (playmaking, route-running, versatility and clutch factor) of the true cream of the crop at the position.
With more eyes on the 3-1 Texans these days, Collins is finally beginning to get his due as a true game-changer. Another big game on Sunday — in a marquee matchup against Josh Allen’s 3-1 Bills — and Collins’ rep will continue its rocketing ascent.
Warner for Defensive Player of the Year!
No off-ball linebacker has won AP Defensive Player of the Year since Luke Kuechly in 2013, but Fred Warner is making quite an early push for the hardware in 2024. Through the first month of the season, the San Francisco 49ers star is Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded player on offense or defense. A first-team All-Pro selection in three of the past four years, Warner has stuffed the stat sheet in his first four games, with 27 tackles, four passes defensed, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and a sack. And that’s despite missing the entire second half of last week’s 30-13 blowout of the Patriots with an ankle injury. (The linebacker is officially questionable for Sunday’s divisional bout against the Cardinals, but his return to practice on Friday was a promising development.)
Warner’s combination of workmanlike production and splash-play electricity is something to behold every week. Studying the tape, the 27-year-old pops off the screen as a sideline-to-sideline playmaker with superb instincts, awareness and anticipation. He routinely tracks down running backs and pass catchers as a “see ball, get ball” defender with outstanding speed, quickness and burst.
Moreover, the 49ers’ green-dot ‘backer terrorizes opponents as a versatile defender between the tackles, exhibiting rare traits as a tackler, pass rusher and coverage specialist. He’s making game-changing splash plays with staggering frequency, like the “Peanut punch” of Breece Hall in Week 1, a touchdown-saving punch-out and a leaping pick/long return in Week 2, and a spectacular pick-six in Week 4.
Simply put, Warner is playing the game at a level few can match. He is revolutionizing the position as a multifaceted defensive playmaker, and his impact extends beyond the stat sheet. The 49ers embrace a “bully ball” style built on effort, toughness and physicality. Warner sets the tone with sensational play in every aspect, and his teammates follow the captain’s lead.
At 2-2, the 49ers are attempting to avoid a Super Bowl hangover. The offense is still trying to find its stride while the defense is transitioning at a number of spots. With all that uncertainty, Warner has taken the lead by providing unreal playmaking in crucial moments. With all due respect to standouts like Aidan Hutchinson, Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt, no defender has enjoyed a better start to the 2024 season than San Francisco’s man in the middle.
No D in Cincy: Can porous unit be fixed?
The Bengals finally got into the win column last Sunday, thanks to a 34-24 win over the Panthers — but the stat sheet revealed yet another disappointing performance by the defense. For the second time this season, the opposing team won the yardage battle (375-373 in favor of Carolina), and Cincinnati allowed the Panthers to pull within one possession midway through the fourth quarter. The Bengals also coughed up 24-plus points for the third straight game and head into Sunday’s divisional showdown with the Ravens ranked 27th in points allowed.
Over the past two offseasons, the Bengals lost a pair of stud defenders, one in the back end (Jessie Bates, who signed with Atlanta in 2023) and one up front (D.J. Reader, who signed with the Lions this year). So some struggles would have been expected. But the team surely hoped for better returns than it has seen in 2024 after making a hefty investment in defensive personnel in recent drafts. The Bengals spent their first-, second- and third-round picks on defensive players in both 2022 (DB Daxton Hill, CB Cam Taylor-Britt and DT Zach Carter) and 2023 (DE Myles Murphy, CB DJ Turner II and S Jordan Battle), but they have not yet found a blue-chip player in the bunch.
Yes, it takes two to three years for some top prospects to break out as stars at the pro level — but the Bengals’ coaches must still be running low on patience, given the way some of these players’ failure to produce is impacting the bottom line. The staff will have to determine whether their issues are due to instruction, scheme or personnel, then craft a plan to get back on track.
After reviewing the tape from the Bengals’ first four games, it’s clear to me that Lou Anarumo and Co. must work some magic to energize a non-existent pass rush. The Bengals entered Week 5 with the second-fewest sacks (five) and fourth-lowest pressure rate (26.7%, per Next Gen Stats). Luckily, their top pass rusher (Trey Hendrickson) won’t have to miss time with an injury that forced him to exit the Panthers game.
Anarumo is a coverage guru who boasts an extensive history working with defensive backs. The Bengals defensive coordinator might need to put more of the onus on his guys to help the unit overcome its pass-rush struggles. Whether he dials up five- or six-man pressures to attack quarterbacks or utilizes more drop-eight concepts (putting eight defenders in coverage), Anarumo must lean on his defensive backfield to mask the team’s issues at the point of attack. He also must identify his most trustworthy defenders so that he can put more pressure on them to handle a heavier mental workload with an expanded call sheet. Anarumo must evaluate the unit’s individual and collective skills to determine whether man, zone or match concepts enable the group to play its best football. If the Bengals’ secondary can handle the pressure of taking on more responsibilities, the defensive play-caller can scheme up the pass rush to compensate for the personnel deficiencies along the front line.
Even so, if Cincinnati is to climb out of this defensive hole, the defensive line must provide better play. And rookie Kris Jenkins could be the X-factor the group needs to create chaos at the point of attack. The 6-foot-3, 310-pounder missed the first two weeks of the season after having thumb surgery, but he’s performed well over the past two weeks in limited snaps, which should lead to more opportunities in the rotation. If Jenkins and B.J. Hill (set to return to the field after missing the past two weeks with a hamstring injury) can hold it down between the tackles, the Bengals can win on early downs and set up the pressure opportunities on obvious passing downs.
Building a plan around reliable individuals could be the first step back to respectability for a struggling defense that needs to improve quickly. In a loaded AFC, Joe Burrow and the offense can’t make this team into a true contender on their own.
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