Much talk surrounding the Houston Texans this offseason has been on the new additions. 

Rookies CJ Stroud, Will Anderson Jr., and Tank Dell have been hot topics since being drafted. Additionally, veterans Shaq Mason, Sheldon Rankins, Dalton Schultz, and Devin Singletary were brought in to increase talent and provide veteran leadership. 

However, the Texans are still making sure to lock down any key returning players. Another solid starter was re-signed on Wednesday to an extension that will keep him in Houston through 2025.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday that the Texans have agreed to an extension with veteran defensive tackle Maliek Collins.

Texans are signing DT Maliek Collins to a two-year, $23 million extension that includes $20 million guaranteed, per source. The deal was negotiated by Texans ‘ GM Nick Caserio and director of football administration Andrew Brown with Collins’ agents Drew Rosenhaus and Ryan Matha.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 14, 2023

The deal represents a nice pay raise for Collins and is the third contract the veteran has signed with the team. 

Collins originally signed a one-year, $5M deal with Houston back in 2021 and then inked a two-year, $17M contract in March of 2022. Collins' 2022 deal contained $8.5M guaranteed with just $1M of his 2022 salary guaranteed. Now, Collins will have $20M guaranteed through the 2024 season. 

It is an impressive feat that Collins has remained on the team through three separate head coaches. The veteran's presence is desperately needed on the defensive line, as the team's defensive success rate against the run was 57.3% with Collins on the field and 53.8% when he wasn't, per ESPN metrics. 

The Texans made a couple of moves to bolster the defensive line around Collins this offseason. Will Anderson Jr. was selected to man the edge, while Sheldon Rankins and Hassan Ridgeway will help contain the middle. 

Featured image via © Robert Deutsch | 2022 Nov 13