Getty The Dallas Cowboys could reunite with former offensive tackle La'el Collins.
The Dallas Cowboys may find it to be a good idea to look for veteran depth as they continue to make a playoff push.
As suggested by Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine, one veteran player the Cowboys “must target” as they make their playoff push is one of their former players, offensive tackle La’el Collins. The 30-year-old remains a free agent following his release by the Cincinnati Bengals at the beginning of the season.
Ballentine argues that the Cowboys could use a versatile offensive lineman capable of filling in considering their recent injuries along the offensive line.
“Collins is still capable of playing at a higher level than many tackles in the league,” writes Ballentine. “His prior experience at guard would make him an incredibly useful player for a Cowboys offensive line that has been beat up. Tyron Smith missed Sunday’s game with a knee injury. Tyler Biadasz, Chuma Edoga and Zack Martin also made appearances on the injury report.”
La’el Collins Was One of NFL’s Better Tackles During Cowboys Tenure
Collins spent last season with the Bengals after signing a three-year deal with the team, starting all 15 of his appearances while serving as the team’s right tackle.
According to Pro Football Focus, Collins’ play regressed last season, posting just a 57.9 offensive grade and 44.2 pass-blocking grade. That was a major decline compared to his 2021 season with the Cowboys when he posted an 82.0 offensive grade, 89.8 run-blocking grade and 76.2 pass-blocking grade.
Among all tackles during the 2021 season, Collins ranked 13th in offensive grade and fourth in run-blocking grade.
Collins is best known for his tenure with the Cowboys between 2015 and 2021. The former undrafted free agent started 71 of his 74 appearances during his time with Dallas, serving as a starter at left guard during his rookie season before spending the majority of his time as the starting right tackle for the Cowboys.
As Ballentine notes, Collins’ familiarity with Dallas’ offensive system makes him a suitable option for the team.
“Collins would provide a fresh body with guard-tackle versatility and he’s already well-acquainted with the ins and outs of playing in Dallas,” writes Ballentine.
La’el Collins Returning From Torn ACL in 2022
Collins is returning from a torn ACL that he suffered during the 2022 season. As Adam Wells of Bleacher Report notes, the 30-year-old lineman 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,” writes Wells.
As Wells also notes (per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler), Collins has generated tons of interest around the league from around a dozen teams.
“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.
With starting left tackle Tyron Smith continuing to deal with nagging injuries — he’s missed the past two games and played in just 17 of 50 possible games from 2020 until 2022 — it might be a wise investment for the Cowboys to sign Collins.
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Cowboys Pushed to Reunite With Former $50 Million Starting Lineman