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When it comes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line in 2024, there has been a lot left on the table in terms of protecting Pro Bowl quarterback Baker Mayfield and paving holes for one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL.
Through Tampa Bay’s 3-2 start to the season, the Buccaneers have allowed Mayfield to be sacked at least once in every game, including a whopping 7 sacks in a home loss to the Denver Broncos on September 22 and 5 sacks in a road win over the Detroit Lions on September 15.
One of the big reasons for that inconsistency has been the absence of right offensive tackle Luke Goedeke, who hasn’t played since suffering a concussion in the season opener against the Washington Commanders on September 8.
Goedeke, who is in his third season, is a key to Tampa Bay’s success up front after starting all 17 games in 2023. The Buccaneers drafted him in the second round (No. 57 overall) out of Central Michigan in 2022.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder thinks Tampa Bay should sign veteran offensive tackle and current free agent La’el Collins to stabilize the offensive line headed into the middle part of the season.
“The Bucs have gotten some shaky guard play to begin the year, and starting right tackle Luke Goedeke hasn’t played since suffering a concussion in the season opener,” Holder wrote.”In case those situations don’t change soon, it might be worth it to add Collins since he has experience lining up at right tackle and guard.”
While Collins has been dominant in the past, he might not be the answer the Buccaneers are looking for because he hasn’t played since starting 15 games for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022.
Collins Once Projected as First-Round Pick
Headed into the 2015 NFL draft, Collins was projected as a surefire first-round pick out of LSU before news broke he was questioned in the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend, 29-year-old Brittany Mills, who was 8 months pregnant when she was shot to death in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on April 24, 2015 — just 6 days before the draft.
While Collins eventually was ruled out as a suspect and a paternity test showed he was not the father of the child, he went undrafted and eventually signed with the Dallas Cowboys. Almost a decade later, Mills’ murder remains a cold case.
Collins started 11 games as a rookie and then started 32 consecutive games in 2017 and 2018 before the Cowboys signed him to a 5-year, $50 million contract extension before the 2019 season.
After sitting out the entire 2020 season due to injuries, Collins was suspended for 5 games in 2021 for violating the league’s substance abuse policy by missing drug tests and being accused of attempting to bribe the person collecting the test samples.
Second Chance With Bengals Ends in Injury
Collins asked for and was granted his released by the Cowboys following the 2021 season and signed a 3-year, $21 million contract with the Bengals, where he started 15 games before a devastating knee injury against the New England Patriots in Week 16 ended his season with a torn ACL and MCL.
Collins, who has $49.9 million in career earnings, was released by the Bengals in September 2023 and sat out all of last season recovering from his knee injury. He signed a 1-year, $1.75 million contract with the Buffalo Bills in April 2024 but was released as part of the team’s final training camp roster cuts in August 2024.
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