As the Cowboys navigate a number of injuries on their offensive line, they’re targeting a familiar face for some depth. According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, veteran lineman La’el Collins will work out for the team on Friday.
This would represent Collins’ third stint with the organization, with his first spanning seven seasons. The former UDFA quickly established himself as a starter in Dallas. The LSU product started 11 games at guard as a rookie and was limited to only three games as a sophomore, but he later settled in as the starting right tackle between 2017 and 2019. Prior to that latter campaign, the lineman inked a five-year, $50MM deal with the Cowboys.
Collins ended up missing the entire 2020 campaign after dealing with a long list of injuries, and the beginning of his 2021 campaign was derailed by a substance abuse suspension. He ended up starting 11 of his 12 appearances that season, but his declining play ultimately led to his release.
The lineman caught on with the Bengals via a three-year contract, but his first season ended a bit early thanks to a torn ACL. He was released early in the 2023 season and finally caught on with the Cowboys practice squad towards the end of the campaign, but he didn’t end up getting into a game. He signed with the Bills last offseason but was among the team’s final cuts, and he didn’t get another job throughout the 2024 campaign.
It’s now been two full seasons since Collins has seen the field for a regular season game, but the Cowboys can’t be too picky at this point. As Archer points out, the team has seen four linemen suffer injuries over the past week: Tyler Guyton (knee), Rob Jones (neck), Matt Waletzko (ankle), and Hakeem Adeniji (concussion). Guard Tyler Smith also left practice early today with knee soreness.
Unsurprisingly, Collins has the support of some of his former teammates. Dak Prescott told reporters that the 32-year-old lineman is in the best shape of his life, with the quarterback hoping that Collins “kills this workout” (per Jon Machota of The Athletic).