The Arizona Cardinals will open training camp July 23 and begin the process of preparing for the regular season, forming the roster and determining starting jobs and roles on the team.
Leading up to the start of camp, we will take a look at every player on the offseason roster, their background, their contract, their play in 2023, questions they face and their roster outlook.
Next up is defensive lineman L.J. Collier.
Background
Collier was selected by the Seahawks in the first round of the 2019 draft from TCU. He was with Seattle for four seasons and played 45 games with 16 starts. All 16 came in 2020 when he played 49 percent of the defensive snaps. However, the most he played was 30 percent in the other three seasons. Collier had 40 tackles (24 solo) and 3.0 sacks in his Seahawks career. He became an unrestricted free agent in 2023 and was signed to a one-year contract by the Cardinals on March 22.
2023 stats
Collier was limited to one game, which he started, because of a torn biceps suffered in the season opener against the Commanders. He played 37 snaps (52 percent) and had two solo tackles.
2024 contract details, cap hit
Scheduled to become a UFA again, he signed a one-year deal prior to the start of the league year. The contract is worth $1.29 million and includes a $1.125 million salary, $25,000 signing bonus and per-game roster bonuses of $8,382 that can total a maximum of $142,500. Collier’s cap charge is $1.018 million.
Questions he faces
Can he pick up where he left off after earning a starting job in 2023? That’s the question he faces along with having added competition from the veteran additions of Bilal Nichols, Justin Jones and Khyiris Tonga and rookie Darius Robinson.
2024 roster outlook
Collier has the ability to be one of the five or six defensive linemen likely to make the roster, but it won’t be easy thanks to the competition from those mentioned along with second-year lineman Dante Stills.
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