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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Cleveland Browns’ defensive front lost a central piece Sunday when defensive tackle Maliek Collins was carted off the field with a knee injury and ruled out for the remainder of Cleveland’s Week 13 game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Collins signed with Cleveland in March on a two-year, $20 million deal and had quickly justified the investment.
Entering Sunday’s game, he had recorded 24 combined tackles and 6.5 sacks this season — a career‑high sack total that ranks among the best for interior defensive linemen.
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He had also delivered one of his strongest performances of the year in Week 12, with 2.5 sacks and a recovered fumble in a key win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Collins exited in the third quarter against the 49ers after being evaluated by team medical staff on the sideline.
Soon after, renowned sports doctor David J. Chao indicated it may be a patellar tendon rupture.
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Collins was a third-round draft pick (No. 67 overall) by the Dallas Cowboys in 2016, and has spent the last decade developing into one of the NFL's most reliable interior defenders.
Over 147 career games, he has 263 combined tackles, 37 sacks, nine fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, and one interception.
Prior to signing with the Browns, he spent a year in San Francisco (2024), three with the Houston Texans (2021-2023), one with the Raiders (2019), and his first four with the Cowboys.
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Collins’ absence bluntly reduces the Browns’ interior pass rush and run-defense flexibility, with veteran Shelby Harris as the backup to step in alongside Mason Graham.
Even with those pieces in place, Collins’ unique blend of one-on-one quickness and interior pressure will be hard to replace.
With Collins exiting Sunday's game, the next firm answers will come after imaging and the team’s medical evaluation.
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