Raiders defense coordinator Paul Guenther has overseen some dominant defensive players over his nearly two decades in the NFL.
During his four seasons as the Cincinnati Bengals defense coordinator, Guenther came to work on a daily basis with two-time All-Pro defensive tackle Geno Atkins. Atkins, who was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2010s, reminds Guenther of one of the Raiders’ offseason additions in free agency.
“I’ve been around Geno Atkins for a long time in his career. Maliek reminds me a lot of Geno Atkins, ”Guenther told reporters Thursday at the Raiders training camp (h / t RaidersWire). ‘He is perhaps our best acquisition for the whole season from what I have seen. He has been great. Of course with (Raiders defensive line coach) Rod Marinelli here, he coached the defensive line in Dallas, he showed the boys what Rod was teaching them. He’s great with the younger players, teaches them the techniques, he’s very fast, has his weight down, he’s in great shape. He is the prototypical three-technique we are looking for in this defense. ”
[RELATED: Raiders’ Jacobs has lofty receiving goal for second season]
Collins joins Las Vegas after four years with the Dallas Cowboys, the organization that drafted him in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Collins finished 2019 with four sacks and 20 total tackles.
Atkins absolutely dominated his money in the interior of the defensive line, something Collins expressed during his time in Dallas. The Raiders got a strong rookie season from Maxx Crosby, but were in great need of a rush for interior passes.
If Guenther is already impressed enough to compare Collins to a player who has spent three seven seasons in the sack over his career, Raiders fans should be keen for Collins to turn the field into silver and black. nobody.
[RAIDERS TALK: Listen to the latest episode]
