On Tuesday, La’el Collins visited the Cowboys to see if he would be a good fit. Collins has familiarity with the area as it’s the team that drafted him and spent most of his career with so far.
Collins was one of the top linemen of the Cowboys in the early 2020’s. He left Dallas for Cincinnati in 2022, to help a struggling line that wanted desperately to protect it’s star QB Joe Burrow.. This move didn’t exactly work out for Collins as he had to end his year short with a knee injury and was released the following season.
Reunion? Free agent OT La’El Collins is arriving today in Dallas to work out with the #Cowboys, per me and @TomPelissero. Assuming he passes the physical, Dallas could sign him to the practice squad to work his way into football shape.
Quick photoshop 👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/0rTDEHuBrD
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 2, 2024
Colins’ Cowboys History
Collins has been looking for an opportunity to help an NFL team this season most of the year after getting released in August. The tackles return to Dallas would help a line that has not only been struggle but is also injury-ridden. All pro, Tyron Smith is currently injured and now sophomore phenom Tyler Smith suffered an injury this past week.
This is a move that Cowboys fans have been waiting for all season. Collins was a very solid player for Dallas that could be plugged in on the right or left side of the line. The main part of his game was run blocking. Former Pro-Bowl RB for the Cowboys, Ezekiel Elliott had the privilege to run behind Collins for many years and he would be the first to talk about Collin’s blocking.
How Collins Helps Cowboys’ Current Struggles
This Cowboys team has been struggling all season with blocking. This isn’t only protecting potential MVP Dak Prescott, but also creating a lane for a halfback. Dallas’ run game has been nonexistent compared to last season and a move like this might be just what they need.
The plan is for Collins to workout for the Cowboys. If he passes his physical, he would be able to sign with the team’s practice squad. From here, he could work his way into the lineup and soon back into the starting rotation, especially as an injury fill-in. We saw a similar thing last season when Dallas signed Jason Peters to their practice squad.