Cowboys Urged to Make Move for Familiar Former $50 Million Starter

Getty Dak Prescott pictured with former Dallas Cowboys teammate La'el Collins (right).

The Dallas Cowboys are riding high after a 38-3 blowout victory over the New England Patriots in Week 4, but there are still ways for the front office to improve the roster. One name to watch is longtime starting offensive lineman La’el Collins who was released by the Cincinnati Bengals on September 12, 2023.

Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder is pushing the Cowboys to re-sign Collins to help with some of their depth issues along the offensive line. Collins remains a free agent following his recent release by Cincinnati.

“To put it simply, the offensive line is beaten up and its depth up front is wearing thin,” Holder detailed on October 2. “That’s a big reason the Cowboys got upset against the Cardinals. Dallas could use someone who can play either guard or tackle like Collins can, and it should help that he has some familiarity with the players currently on the roster.

“Jerry Jones and company might have to act quickly, though, as the 30-year-old reportedly had about a dozen teams call him last week.”

La’el Collins Previously Signed a 5-Year, $50 Million Contract With the Dallas Cowboys

Collins spent his first six seasons in Dallas starting 86 games as a key member of the team’s offensive line. The veteran previously signed a five-year, $50 million contract with the Cowboys that was slated to run through the 2024 season.

Dallas opted to release Collins during the 2022 season before he eventually landed with the Bengals. Collins signed a three-year, $21 million deal with Cincinnati but the team decided to release the veteran after just one season.

The former Cowboys tackle started 15 games for the Bengals before sustaining a torn ACL to end his 2022 season. There are challenges with Dallas potentially looking at Collins as the tackle began the season on the physically unable to perform list while the vet continued to recover from the ACL injury.

Dak Prescott on Dallas Cowboys’ Red Zone Performance vs New England Patriots: ‘Pretty Efficient, Still Not to Our Standard Though’

There are pros to a reunion with Collins, but this is unlikely to be a solution for the immediate future given the veteran is coming off a significant injury. Collins graded out at an underwhelming 57.9 (out of 100) from Pro Football Focus with Cincinnati in 2022 but is just two years removed from an impressive 82. As for the current Cowboys, quarterback Dak Prescott is still unhappy with the team’s red zone performance despite a 38-3 victory over the Patriots in Week 4.

“Pretty efficient, still not to our standard though, honestly,” Prescott told reporters on October 1. “As many opportunities as we had in the red zone, having some field goals. I guess on that one fourth down, what we were on the fringe, didn’t convert on that. Still not up to our standard but obviously it feels good to get a couple of red zone touchdowns.

“Had the one just barely outside of that to CeeDee [Lamb]. So, good to get a receiver a touchdown, a lot of good comes from it, and a lot of great comes from it when you win a game 38 to 3.”