Getty Dallas Cowboys right tackle La'el Collins blocks a Green Bay Packers defender during a 2019 matchup.
The Baltimore Ravens will be looking to upgrade at offensive tackle this offseason following the retirement of Alejandro Villanueva, who started all 17 of the teams’ regular season games in 2021.
After starting every game for the Ravens in 2021, OT Alejandro Villanueva has decided to retire after a seven-year NFL career.
But Villanueva’s decision to leave the NFL after a seven-year career – the first six of which came with the AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers – might actually work in the Ravens’ favor. Villanueva struggled through his first season in Baltimore, finishing with a career-low 58.5 pass blocking grade from Pro Football Focus after six straight seasons with a grade of 77.0 or higher. His retirement creates $6 million in salary cap space, per OverTheCap, potentially giving the Ravens a chance to acquire a major upgrade at offensive tackle.
Dallas Cowboys star offensive lineman La’el Collins, who is being shopped around the league, per Heavy’s Evan Reier, could be an excellent trade target for a Ravens organization that should be in win-now mode with Lamar Jackson entering the last year of his rookie contract. The 2015 undrafted free agent was linked with the Ravens is a combination of talented and affordable that is rare to find on the trade block.
“Dallas is actively discussing a trade with other teams involving the 28-year-old lineman,” wrote Reier on March 10, explaining that the Cowboys appear ready to replace Collins with another undrafted free agent in Terrence Steele.
If so, the Ravens should definitely inquire about the Cowboys’ asking price for Collins, as he would be a significant boost to Baltimore’s offensive line at an affordable cost in 2022 and beyond.
An Ideal Acquisition
Collins has been linked with the Ravens before, and it’s easy to see why.
He would immediately address one of the Ravens’ most glaring problems in 2021: their offensive line. Collins is a top-tier run blocker, with an 89.7 grade from PFF that ranked third among all tackles, and he holds up in pass protection as well. The Ravens could certainly benefit from both of those skills – their yards-per-carry fell from 5.5 in 2019 and 2020 to 4.8 in 2021, and they gave up 57 sacks, the second-most in the league.
Collins would lock down the right tackle spot in Baltimore, where healthy offensive tackles have been hard to come by. Ronnie Stanley and Ja’Wuan James are both coming off major injuries that have kept them off the field for most of the past few seasons and though Patrick Mekari earned an extension for his play at right tackle, he may be needed at center if the Ravens can’t find a replacement. Mekari has started 13 games at the position in his career, though his struggles against the Buffalo Bills in the 2020 Divisional Round may worry some fans.
Collins would also come to Baltimore on an extremely affordable contract, per ESPN’s Field Yates.
If a team traded for Cowboys RT La’el Collins, it would owe him a salary of $10M for each of the next three seasons. No other bonuses, incentives, etc.
He’s 28, has a ton of experience, is a solid pass protector and plays with some nasty.
A perfectly reasonable deal to take on.
With Lamar Jackson set to become more expensive over the next few seasons, snagging a quality tackle in his prime for $10 million per year would be a smart move for the Ravens.
Could Collins Come to Baltimore?
Not only have the Cowboys have granted Collins permission to seek a trade, but their asking price for him could be as low as a single late-round draft pick, per Reier. If that’s the case, the Ravens defintely have the draft capital to make a competitive offer.
One of their four picks in the fourth round of this year’s draft might be enough on its own, with the ability to throw in an extra 2023 fifth- or seventh-rounder that were acquired in a few savvy preseason trades in 2021.
Reier also noted that the Cowboys will likely cut Collins if they can’t trade him, but the Ravens would be wiser to trade for the former LSU standout rather than pursue him in free agency. On the open market, Collins could easily command north of $15 million per year, while a trade would keep him in Baltimore through the 2024 season for a total of just $30 million.
If the reports about the Cowboys’ desire to trade Collins are true, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta, no stranger to blockbuster trades himself, should get right to work on a deal.