Raise the flag and sound the alarm -- the Cleveland Browns are not waving goodbye to one of their key players.

The signing of linebacker Jamie Collins is a positive first step for this offseason. It's also a step that has been missing the past few years.

The Browns kept a good player whose potential in an aggressive, gnarly defense is enticing. He's been to the Pro Bowl for New England. He's got tremendous ability. He's a Brown for four more years.

Now it's up to Collins to prove it was the right move. Because the numbers, as reported by ESPN's Dan Graziano, show that the Browns paid Collins like an impact, game-changing player, among the best in the league at his position.

His deal is worth $50 million, or $12.5 million per season, which puts him fourth among linebackers in the NFL, behind Denver's Von Miller, Kansas City's Justin Houston and Green Bay's Clay Matthews and ahead of ahead of Carolina's Luke Kuechly. Kuechly is considered the best inside linebacker in the NFL.

Not bad for a guy who finished with two sacks in eight games in Cleveland a year ago.

Did the Browns overpay? Only if about $750,000 per year is too much, but for a team with more cap room than it knows what to do with it's not outrageous. The salary cap site spotrac.com had pegged his market value at $11.74 million and his outside linebacker rank at fourth. Collins got $12.5 million, fourth among outside linebackers.

In his eight games in Cleveland last season, Collins impressed with his ability to run and make tackles. Missing were game-changing plays. Collins was good to very good; he was not great.

His 69 tackles (in half a season) ranked third on the team, but he had two sacks, no interceptions, and one forced fumble. His numbers when combined with his Patriots stats look this way: 112 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions, three passes defensed and three forced fumbles.

Another Browns offseason addition may be the key to this contract working well.

The presence of Gregg Williams as defensive coordinator may help Collins achieve his potential. Collins would seem to have the kind of skills that fit Williams' up-tempo style.

For Williams, game-changing plays are vital. Collins has the ability to be disruptive. If Collins is as good as he's touted, he could be the centerpiece to Williams' attacking approach.

In some ways, it seems like a perfect match -- which is a pretty good offseason starting point for a team coming off a miserable season.