Buffalo Bills at Las Vegas Raiders: 3 Players to watch In Week 4

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 27: Carl Nassib #94 celebrates with Johnathan Abram #24 of the Las Vegas Raiders during the first half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on September 27, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 27: Carl Nassib #94 celebrates with Johnathan Abram #24 of the Las Vegas Raiders during the first half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on September 27, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 29: Steven Sims #15 of the Washington Redskins runs with the ball while being chased by Maliek Collins #96 of the Dallas Cowboys in the second quarter in the game at AT&T Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Buffalo Bills at Las Vegas Raiders: 3 Players to watch In Week 4

Maliek Collins

Head coach Jon Gruden and Defensive Coordinator Paul Guenther called Defensive tackle Maliek Collins the steal of the off-season, and said he was one of if not the most important part of this years defense.  He was even named a team captain in his first year with the team, so that’s all good right?

Well, just like usual Raiders free agent signing, it hasn’t worked out quite the way the Raiders had hoped it would.  When he’s on the field he’s been mostly invisible and been outplayed by Maurice Hurst and Johnathan Hankins.  According to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur Gruden had a one on one conversation with Collins and said that he is “trying to do too much. He is gonna play better.”

Hopefully that is the case because Las Vegas needs him and the defensive line to play better than it has through the first few weeks of the season. The schedule does not get any easier with the Kansas City Chiefs on deck, so a good effort from the unit will go a long way in terms of confidence heading into their AFC West opener in Week 5.