Could a couple of old friends be coming back to Dallas to help provide postseason depth in two precariously thin position groups?
Offensive tackle La’el Collins, a key piece of the Cowboys’ offensive line for seven seasons before a March 2022 release, is coming to The Star for a workout on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.
Linebacker Damien Wilson is also getting a look; he played for Dallas from 2015 to 2018.
Both could be signed to the practice squad as the team looks to make final roster tweaks heading into what they hope will be a deep postseason run.
The Cowboys are bringing in familiar faces for workouts today in OL La’el Collins and LB Damien Wilson, according to sources. Collins played for the Cowboys for 2015-21. Wilson played for Dallas from 2015-18.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) January 2, 2024
Collins was an undrafted free agent in 2015 out of LSU, a top-10 collegiate talent whose draft stock fell after word came that police wanted to talk with him about the shooting death of a pregnant woman he had been involved with. He was not a suspect, but many teams got scared, and his agents then threatened a season-long holdout if he was drafted later than the third round.
Jerry Jones famously brought him in for a dinner meeting with key members of the team and made him a Cowboy. He went on to start 71 of 74 games played for Dallas (and appeared in four postseason games), though he missed the entire 2020 season due to injury and was suspended for another five games in 2021.
The emergence of Terence Steele during those absences left the high-priced Collins suddenly expendable, and the team gave him permission to seek a trade during the 2022 offseason. He was released in free agency and quickly signed by the Cincinnati Bengals to a three-year deal. Injuries lingered throughout his 2022 season, and he began the 2023 season on the team’s Physically Unable to perform list. Collins was released by Cincinnati in September.
While the 30-year-old Collins played right tackle for most of his time in Dallas, he also has experience at left guard. Current starting left guard Tyler Smith tore his plantar fascia in Sunday’s win over Detroit, and while he’s expected back sooner rather than later, the Cowboys may want more experienced depth than they currently have in a player like T.J. Bass, who finished the Week 17 game for Smith.
Wilson was a fourth-round draft pick out of Minnesota in 2015. He has experience at all three linebacker positions as well as special teams and appeared in every game over his four seasons in Dallas.
He signed with Kansas City in 2019, winning a Super Bowl in his first year as a Chief. By 2021, he was in Jacksonville; he played 2022 with Carolina. He has been out of football for the 2023 season.
Dallas has employed a patchwork approach at linebacker ever since a neck injury cut short Leighton Vander Esch’s season. Veteran Rashaan Evans was brought in and then cut after minimal contributions. Damone Clark has seen plenty of playing time, but his production has been hit-or-miss. Tyrus Wheat, Malik Jefferson, and Buddy Johnson are the Cowboys’ other options, but none of them has a start on their NFL résumé.
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Experience matters, especially in the playoffs. Maybe with a few more guys in the locker room who’ve been there before, the team will find themselves better equipped to do some serious damage with this year’s berth.
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