It’s no secret L.J. Collier’s first season in a Seattle Seahawks uniform didn’t go as planned. The rookie defensive end suffered a severe ankle injury in training camp, preventing him from gaining valuable playing time during the preseason and ultimately putting him behind the sticks development wise for the entire campaign.
All told, Collier only appeared in 11 games in 2019, often for just a handful of snaps, and he racked up just three combined tackles.
The lack of production by Collier, on a team that was desperate for any kind of help in the pass rush, was no doubt frustrating for all parties involved. However, coach Pete Carroll is confident that with more reps, Collier will get going and take a big step forward in 2020.
“I think he just needs to be in there,” Carroll said on Monday. “Get his play time, get going, get all of camp, get everything organized, he’s got it all together. We would like to play him inside and out, move him a little bit. I hope – I already talked to him about it – he can make the kind of jump that Rasheem [Green] made from year one to year two. I thought Rasheem had a terrific season this year to help us out and start to get his career rolling. Hopefully L.J. will make the same kind of advance.”
Green had a similarly absent rookie campaign, appearing in 10 games with just nine tackles in 2018. However, he burst onto the scene this past season, leading the team with four sacks and recording three forced fumbles, two passes defended and 27 combined tackles.
A Green-like step in the right direction for Collier in season two would be a huge boost for this Seattle defense.
At 24, Collier is already two years older than Green – which likely caps his overall growth. However, despite the rough campaign, there’s still plenty of optimism that Collier can be an impact player in the trenches for the Seahawks, both in the short and long-term.
