Cowboys’ Former $50 Million Lineman Could Sign With Giants: Report

Getty Former Cowboys tackle La'el Collins will visit the Giants.

A former notable Dallas Cowboys starter could be looking at his new home.

As Mike Garafalo of NFL Network reported on Tuesday, October 10, offensive tackle La’el Collins will visit the New York Giants. This comes shortly after Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Collins worked out for the New York Jets.

The 30-year-old Collins has been a free agent since he was released by the Cincinnati Bengals in September. His release came shortly after he was placed on the reserve/PUP list to begin the season after he suffered a torn ACL and MCL towards the end of the 2022 season.

As Adam Wells of Bleacher Report noted in late September, Collins has been medically cleared to return.

“Now that La’El Collins has been medically cleared to return from a knee injury that prematurely ended his 2022 season, the veteran offensive tackle is generating a lot of interest around the NFL,” wrote Wells on September 27.

La’el Collins Drawing Interest on Free Agency Market

Wells also notes (per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler) that Collins has generated a ton of interest around the league as a free agent.

“Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, there have been ‘about a dozen or so teams’ that have made inquires to Collins and he could start taking visits soon,” writes Wells.

The former undrafted free agent spent last season with the Bengals, but he’s best known for his tenure with the Cowboys. The LSU alum started 71 of his 74 appearances with Dallas between 2015 and 2021, serving as a starting left guard during his rookie season with the Cowboys and a starting right tackle during his last several seasons in Dallas.

According to Pro Football Focus, Cousins ranked as one of the best tackles during his last two seasons with the Cowboys. During the 2019 season — Collins missed the entirety of the 2020 season due to injuries — Collins posted an 86.4 offensive grade, ranking fourth among full-time tackles. During the 2021 season, Collins posted an 82.0 offensive grade, ranking 13th among all tackles.

During the 2019 and 2021 seasons, Collins allowed a total of just four quarterback sacks.

When Collins is healthy, he consistently ranks as one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL. However, it is worth noting that during his lone season with the Bengals as their starting right tackle, his play regressed. Collins posted a 57.9 offensive grade and a career-low 44.2 run-blocking grade.

Why the Giants Are Interested in Signing La’el Collins

As Mark Cannizzaro of The New York Post notes, the Giants are without starting left tackle Andrew Thomas due to injury and currently dealing with injuries to their offensive line as a whole.

“The Giants have been without left tackle Andrew Thomas for the past four games because of a hamstring injury,” writes Cannizzaro. “They, too, were without two other linemen in their loss to the Dolphins on Sunday.”

If Collins were to sign with the Cowboys’ hated NFC East rivals, he would be tasked with helping improve the worst offensive line in the NFL. According to PFF, the Giants rank dead last in both pass-blocking grade and run-blocking grade.