The Cleveland Browns are kicking off their training camp with a gut punch to their defensive line. Seriously. Defensive tackle Maliek Collins, a guy who absolutely balled out last season, just got slapped on the active/physically unable to perform (PUP) list. This is not how you want to start, especially with camp opening its doors right about now, on July 23, 2026. This isn’t just a minor blip; it’s a huge question mark hanging over their D-line before they even put pads on.
Remember That Quad Injury? Yeah, It’s Still Haunting Them
Remember that brutal, season-ending quad injury Collins picked up way back in Week 13 of last season? The one that sent him to injured reserve in early December? Well, it’s still causing major headaches for Cleveland. We’re talking late July here, and the dude still hasn’t gotten the green light to return to the field. That’s a serious chunk of recovery time, and honestly, you gotta wonder if this thing is taking longer than anyone in Cleveland hoped. Think about what Collins brought to their defensive front in his first year with the club. The numbers don’t lie: 6.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, and a whopping 13 quarterback hits in just 12 games. Let that sink in. He inked a two-year deal during the 2025 offseason, so it’s clear the Browns saw him as a foundational piece. Losing that kind of impactful player, even for camp, is a massive problem.
What PUP Means For Cleveland’s Early Season Outlook
So, what does this PUP list situation actually mean for Maliek Collins and the Browns? Basically, he’s sidelined. No practicing with the squad until the medical staff gives him the all-clear. The silver lining, if you can even call it that, is they can technically activate him off the PUP list whenever he gets healthy during training camp. This isn’t like being immediately placed on injured reserve, which would totally bench him for a minimum number of games at the start of the regular season. But every single day Collins isn’t out there with his teammates? That’s a day he’s missing vital reps. It’s a day he’s not gelling with new schemes or building chemistry with his line mates. The stakes are definitely climbing for Cleveland. They need Collins back and at full strength to anchor that defensive line, plain and simple. Every minute he misses, especially at the critical start of camp, means lost time for a unit that needs to be firing on all cylinders to disrupt opposing QBs. Cleveland fans have gotta be absolutely glued to their phones for updates, hoping he gets cleared pronto.
All eyes are gonna be locked on the Browns’ camp updates as we move forward. The absolute best-case scenario is Collins getting medically cleared ASAP and jumping back into action. His return would be a massive shot in the arm for that Cleveland defense, and believe me, they are absolutely going to need him to be the dominant force he was just last year.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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