Nailin’ Jalen: Jalen Collins’ Second Failed Drug Test Casts Doubt on his Falcons Future

The beleaguered cornerback, Jalen Collins, may have just cost himself his Atlanta Falcons future with his second failed drug test

There are few things as frustrating for a sports franchise than wasted talent. Watching a player repeatedly take self-inflicted buckshot to the cleats is migraine inducing stuff—it just makes zero sense, especially considering what is on the line.

Justin Blackmon. Josh Gordon. Jalen Collins. The Triumvirate of Talent Gone Awry.

Collins joined that ignominious duo of NFL cautionary tales on Sunday with his second failed drug test in subsequent seasons, receiving a 10-game ban for violating the league’s substance abuse policy for PEDs. Word out of camp regarding Collins’ lack of first team reps was concerning, and now we have the answer for his seeming demotion—the guy blew it once again.

A curious-yet-promising selection in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, Collins’ struggled with substance abuse during his days at LSU. Assured that his off-field issues were behind him, the Atlanta Falcons seemed comfortable that Jalen’s massive potential and talent were worth the character risk.

It now appears that trust was misplaced.

There has been zero word as to what was in Jalen Collins’ system, but whether it was an explicitly banned substance or some kind of obscure additive matters none—he should have known better. His four-game suspension should have put him on notice to read the labels, to steer clear of anything remotely suspect and to strictly focus on football. But that did not happen, and now the Falcons’ front office and head coach Dan Quinn have a decision to make.

Collins began to come into his own last season, filling in remarkably for injured star cornerback Desmond Trufant. He hauled in two interceptions, and forced a momentum-shifting fumble in the second quarter of the NFC Championship game against Green Bay. His freakish build, high intensity and knack for laying punishing hits on opposing wide receivers made him a promising cog in the defense going forward.

But he may never get that chance.

Collins is now one more violation away from a two-year ban from the NFL. Quinn and Co. have to consider the risk/reward of keeping him around long-term; especially that he’s established a penchant for failing to get out of his own way. With a team stocked up with cornerback talent, Jalen Collins’ poor decisions may have just led to his Atlanta Falcons Pink Slip.

Next: Atlanta Falcons: Did Jalen Collins make himself expendable?

Time will tell if the team decides once more that his abilities as a football player outweigh his lack of abilities as a decision maker off the field.