The Cleveland Browns suffered a tough loss in Week 13 to the San Francisco 49ers, which was a step back following an impressive win against the Las Vegas Raiders in Shedeur Sanders’ first start at quarterback.
With a Week 15 game against the lowly Tennessee Titans coming up, there is plenty of hope that the Browns, and the offense in particular, can get back on track and win two out of three.
However, the Browns have lost defensive tackle Maliek Collins to a quad injury that will require surgery. It’s a devastating outcome, as Collins already had a career-high 6.5 sacks with a consistent pressure rate that had him garnering Pro Bowl consideration.
It won’t be easy overcoming this kind of loss, but the team is still in good hands with rookies Mason Graham and Adin Huntington having impressive first years in the NFL.
With that in mind, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz recently spoke out about the loss of Collins.
“Maliek was playing great football for us, probably the best football of his career. Was an inside presence for us. Was a guy that can win one-on-ones. It just really falls to everybody. I don’t know that anybody has to do more; they all just have to be themselves, and they’ll get more opportunities,” Schwartz said.
#Browns DC Jim Schwartz on the loss of Maliek Collins: pic.twitter.com/VePgowsjhb
— Ashley Bastock (@AshleyBastock42) December 4, 2025
Schwartz also highlighted Graham specifically for his performance against the Niners after Collins went down. The assistant coach also noted that it will take a collective effort to replace Collins, specifically naming Shelby Harris, Mike Hall Jr., Sam Kamara, and Huntington when he is healthy.
Hall is the most intriguing of the group, as the second-year player has been starting to show signs of improvement over the past few games. In his past three outings, he has six tackles and 1.5 sacks as he continues to carve out a bigger role for himself.
All things considered, losing Collins is a devastating blow, but the bright side is that there is plenty of young talent at defensive tackle that now has an opportunity to shine over the last five games.
Hopefully, Collins’ recovery is smooth and he can pick up right where he left off in 2026.
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