Tag: La’El Collins

La’El Collins sends message to Bills Mafia after signing (video)

La’El Collins sends message to #BillsMafia after signing (video):

The Buffalo Bills’ signing of offensive lineman Le’El Collins was long reported on.

We still don’t know the exact plan for him. Coming off of a few injury-riddled seasons, Collins could potentially factor into a positional battle for playing time. The most-likely spot would be at right tackle where Spencer Brown started last season, but Collins has played snaps at guard in his career as well.

Between medicals, timing, and more, it only just became official on Tuesday. The team made an announcement of the deal and in it there was a message from Collins to Bills Mafia.

That can be found in the clip below:

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Former Bengals OT La’el Collins lands with Bills in free agency

Former Bengals OT La’el Collins has a new home.

Former Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle La’el Collins has inked a deal with the Buffalo Bills.

According to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, after receiving interest from at least one other team, Collins opted to sign with the Bills in free agency.

Last September, the Bengals released Collins and head coach Zac Taylor didn’t have much to say on the topic. The veteran right tackle played 15 games for the team in 2022 before tearing his ACL that December.

The Bengals moved on to Jonah Williams at right tackle and have since swapped to free-agent addition Trent Brown in the wake of Williams signing with the Arizona Cardinals.

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Bills sign OL La’el Collins to one-year deal

#Bills sign OL La’el Collins to one-year deal:

The Buffalo Bills have signed offensive lineman La’el Collins, adding interesting depth and possible competition to their trenches.

According to his representatives via ESPN, the free agent inks a one-year deal with the Bills:

After going undrafted in 2015 due to off-field concerns, Collins immediately became a starter with the Dallas Cowboys as a UDFA. In six years in Dallas, Collins established himself as one of the NFL’s best offensive linemen at right tackle.

He signed a five-year, $50 million deal with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022 but has not played since tearing his ACL and MCL. Collins was out of football in 2023.

Pro Football Focus only graded Collins a 57.9 overall in 15 games with the Bengals prior to injury. However, in previously years with the Dallas Cowboys his marks include an 82.0 (2021), 86.4 (2019) and 72.5 (2018).

In December, Collins was in Buffalo and had a free-agent workout.

Collins has mostly played at right tackle in the NFL. His experience could put him into a competition with Spencer Brown for playing time or he could provide veteran depth.

In addition, it’s worth noting that Collins has played 897 career snaps at left guard and could factor into that discussion as well. Following Connor McGovern’s move to center, it was expected David Edwards was the front runner for playing time there.

Bills Wire will continue to update all roster transactions throughout the 2024 offseason.

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Recent Bills workout La’el Collins reunites with Cowboys

Recent #Bills workout La’el Collins reunites with #Cowboys:

La’el Collins, once a prominently known offensive lineman in the NFL, will not be joining the Bills after all.

Collins, 30, had a free-agent workout with the team last week in Orchard Park. At that time, he did not sign.

Collins did so right after the Bills released Germain Ifedi, however, Ifedi ended up clearing waivers and returned to the Bills via their practice squad. The Bills might have been doing their due diligence on Collins in case someone picked up Ifedi, but regardless, Collins is off the board now.

After his workout with the Bills, Collins had a workout with the team he grew his career with, the Cowboys. They went on to sign him to their practice squad.

Previously considered one of the best tackles in the NFL, Collins coming to the Bills would have been of intrigue because of his past. The Bills have also gotten positive play out of both of their starters at tackle this season, Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown, making the idea even more curious.

Regardless, Collins is back with the Cowboys.

Collins had previously left them for the Bengals.

He signed a five-year, $50 million deal with the Bengals but has not played since tearing his ACL and MCL last year.

Pro Football Focus only graded Collins a 57.9 overall in 15 games with the Bengals prior to injury. However, in previously years with the Dallas Cowboys his marks include an 82.0 (2021), 86.4 (2019) and 72.5 (2018).

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Cowboys expected to add 4 players to practice squad on Thursday

The Cowboys are adding four players tot he practice squad including former players La’el Collins and Damien Wilson. | From @ArmyChiefW3

Dallas has been active with their roster leading up to their regular season finale in Washington. Not only str the Cowboys signing former starting right tackle La’el Collins to the practice squad, but they also will add former Cowboy linebacker Damien Wilson. These are among four players expected to join the club once they create room on the 16-man squad.

Collins signed with Dallas back in 2015 and started 71 games along the offensive line. Collins accounted for $8.1 million against the Cowboys salary cap this season after the team released him back in March 2022. His practice squad salary goes unaccounted for as only the top 51 salaries in the NFL count against the cap.

Wilson signed with Kansas City and wound up winning and losing a Super Bowl in his two years in the Midwest. Wilson suited up for 17 games with the Carolina Panthers in 2022, with five starts. His path to seeing the field will hinge on how quickly he can adapt to the scheme.

They did not stop there as the team is also adding wideout Racey McMath and running back SaRodorick Thompson.

McMath was a sixth-round draft pick by Tennessee back in 2021. The former LSU product played in five games this season catching two passes for 40 yards.

Thompson is a rookie undrafted free agent who started with the Seahawks and was signed to their original practice squad after failing to make the initial 53-man roster. All four players will be eligible to practice once the official announcement is made.

Cowboys News: Poaching Quinn, Lewis shines back home, mending fences

Dan Quinn is once again a head coaching target. Cowboys bring back La’el Collins.

The beginning of the NFL playoffs means poaching season officially begins. Which open coaching vacancy appears to have its sights set on Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn? While Quinn may leave the Cowboys, the task at hand has yet to be completed. Good thing he has players like Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis, who appears back from to form by breaking into this week’s key moments.

Speaking of moments, ending up back where you originally started seems to be a popular move in Dallas. Could a reunion with these two former Cowboys help push Dallas further into the playoffs?

After staying put in last week’s power rankings, see how far the Cowboys jumped after defeating Detroit. Lastly, which recently released veteran has Cowboys fans divided over whether or not he should be wearing a star on his helmet.

Cowboys 53-man roster, practice squad for Week 18 after OL signing

The Cowboys have adjusted their roster for Week 18, adding OL depth. Here’s the 53-man and PS. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys brought back a familiar face on Tuesday. La’el Collins, starting right tackle for the club from 2017 through 2021, has been added to the 16-man practice squad. On the street all season, Collins had a disastrous 2022 with Cincinnati and has worked out for two other teams this year without seeing a deal.

He’s being brought in to help with depth along the line, as Tyron Smith and Tyler Smith have been ailing over the recent weeks. Backup Chuma Edoga did not look good in Smith’s absence recently, so the team is looking to bolster their depth and options heading into the playoffs.

Right tackle Terence Steele has struggled this season as well, but is wholly expected to maintain his starting position. The club also activated second-year tackle Matt Waletzko last week.

Here’s a look at the club’s full 53-man roster and 16-man practice squad, noting which of the PS guys still have elevations remaining to try and help the team get win No. 12 against Washington on Sunday evening.

Cowboys to bring back exes La’el Collins, Damien Wilson for workouts as playoffs loom

From @ToddBrock24f7: As Dallas gears up for the playoffs, they’re working out 2 former players with postseason experience at key positions.

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.

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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Report: Bills had workout with OL La’el Collins

Report: #Bills had workout with OL La’el Collins

Veteran NFL offensive lineman La’el Collins highlighted a list of five players who worked out for the Buffalo Bills on Friday.

The others were:

  • LB Oshane Ximines
  • DE Eric Banks
  • DE Terrell Lewis
  • DE Mathieu Betts

Collins is the most well known of the bunch having previously been considered one of the NFL’s best offensive linemen. The 30-year-old has not played since the end of the 2022 season while he was with the Cincinnati Bengals.

He signed a five-year, $50 million deal with the Bengals but has not played since tearing his ACL and MCL last year.

Pro Football Focus only graded Collins a 57.9 overall in 15 games with the Bengals prior to injury. However, in previously years with the Dallas Cowboys his marks include an 82.0 (2021), 86.4 (2019) and 72.5 (2018).

Collins ended up not signing with the Bills but he’s a name to keep in mind for down the road. Germain Ifedi, released by Buffalo on Thursday, eventually ended up re-signing to the team’s practice squad.

All workouts were reported via the NFL’s transactions wire.

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Former Bengals OT La’el Collins works out with Bills

News about former Bengals OT La’el Collins.

There hasn’t been much about former Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle La’el Collins since October when he started to garner some interest on the open market as a free agent.

That has started to change here near the end of the season, with the Buffalo Bills hosting Collins on a workout, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.

It’s a minor, interesting note relating to the Bengals. The team outright cutting him last September was a bit of a shocker, though it appeared to be the right move with Jonah Williams coming along so nicely at right tackle.

Collins has reportedly had medical clearance to return to the field for a while now after tearing his ACL last December with the Bengals.

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