Cowboys VP Jones expects DT Collins to be ready for Week 1

Maliek Collins is currently on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list but in a radio interview on Saturday, Dallas Cowboys COO/Executive Vice President and Director of Player Personnel Stephen Jones said he thinks the defensive tackle should be ready for the season opener against the Carolina Panthers.

Speaking on "The Ben and Skin Show" on 105.3 KRLD-FM in Dallas, Jones expressed optimism about Collins, while adding the amount of snaps he sees could be monitored.

"At the end of the day, we do feel really good about Maliek being ready to play in that first game," Jones said. "We've still got a couple weeks here. And he's really doing well. Might be on a pitch count, but short of a set back here, we think we're going to have him available for Carolina."

"Collins is recovering from a broken left foot he sustained in May during the team's offseason conditioning program. The injury required surgery, and it was the second time in four months he needed an operation on the fractured fifth metatarsal.

Collins, 23, has experienced problems with his feet before getting injured in May.

In his rookie season of 2016, he broke his right foot during the first week of offseason team activities, and that also required surgery. He was sidelined for three months but was available for the regular season.

Since joining the Cowboys as a third-round pick from Nebraska, Collins has totaled 45 tackles and 7 1/2 half sacks. He has yet to miss a game and started 30 of 32 regular season games.