Tag: La’El Collins

Giants will host OT La’el Collins for a visit this week

The New York Giants will host a visit for veteran offensive tackle La’el Collins, who is coming off knee surgery, this week.

The New York Giants will be working out veteran offensive tackle La’el Collins this week in hopes they can get some relief and depth across their beleaguered offensive line.

Collins, 30, was a star at LSU before legal issues caused him to go undrafted in 2015. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted rookie and has 86 NFL starts in his seven-year career with the Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals.

The Giants recently added two other veterans — former first-round pick Justin Pugh and former New England tackle Yodny Cajuste — to their practice squad.

In addition to the Giants, Collins also intends to visit the New York Jets.

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Former Bengals OT La’el Collins to take free-agent visits soon

An injury and free-agency update on La’el Collins.

Former Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle La’el Collins appears to be nearing an NFL return.

While providing recent footage of Collins working out, Jordan Schultz revealed that the veteran tackle has received medical clearance to get back on the field from that season-ending injury suffered with the Bengals late last season.

The Bengals surprisingly let Collins go back in early September, clearing some cap space in the process, though it was never really clear if it was requested or if other details went into it.

As of right now, for outsiders, it’s worth wondering if the Bengals and Collins might reunite on a much cheaper deal. But the coaching staff clearly has belief in D’Ante Smith as backup swing tackle and can also look to Jackson Carman and Cody Ford in a pinch, too.

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How would La’el Collins fit into the troubled Saints offensive line?

How would La’el Collins fit into the troubled Saints offensive line? The former Cincinnati Bengal is a free agent, and he’s been cleared to play:

A lot of New Orleans Saints fans have been pounding the table for La’el Collins — and a couple of factors aren’t going to slow down that demand any time soon. Between the Saints offensive line falling to pieces on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers and news that Collins has been cleared to play after rehabbing a complicated knee injury, that interest is only ramping up.

The former LSU Tiger had some good years with the Dallas Cowboys and the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s easy to see why so many fans are eager to bring the Baton Rouge local back to The Boot. But is there any real interest in Collins from the Saints as an organization? Should there be? How would he fit into the puzzle they’re trying to solve? Let’s take a look.

First off: there has not been any reported buzz linking Collins to the Saints. Let’s get that out of the way now. He also wasn’t on their radar when he last became a free agent, and they stayed away when he was coming out of LSU as an undrafted free agent way back when. Fans are doing a bit of wishcasting here.

Secondly: it’s tough to buy that a 30-year-old lineman with a history of back injuries could help this team while coming off a season-ending knee injury. It’s easy to shrug and say that the offensive line couldn’t be worse than it currently is, but that’s not taking the problem seriously enough to explore what starting Collins would involve.

And to that third point: Collins has exclusively lined up at right tackle since 2017, and he isn’t going to displace Ryan Ramczyk in that role. Before that he played left guard for two years in Dallas, and the Saints have a logjam there between James Hurst, their former starter Andrus Peat, and rookie draft pick Nick Saldiveri, who has been inactive through three weeks. Collins played left tackle in college but he hasn’t done it in nearly a decade. Odds are he’d struggle just as much there as Trevor Penning has, but without the promise of long-term development.

Collins returning to shore up the New Orleans offensive line would be a great story. But we’re approaching the realm of fantasy by hoping for it. He wouldn’t start with the Saints just like he didn’t start for the Bengals, who released him earlier in September after deciding his contract was too heavy for an injured veteran in a backup role. He wants to start but there isn’t a spot open for him in New Orleans. Expect that to lead him elsewhere while the Saints continue to work on solving their protection issues in-house.

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5 NFL free agents who could really help these 5 NFL teams after two weeks, including Leonard Fournette

These five NFL free agents could really help these five NFL teams after two weeks.

We’re already two weeks into the 2023 NFL season, and we’ve got a pretty good lay of the land for what some teams need to work on to stay afloat this season.

While some teams can only fix these issues with improved play, other teams might be able to go look out and see what free agents are still available.

While none of the players on the list will be monumental additions at this stage in the season, they could all play valuable roles to help areas where these five NFL teams could stand to improve.

Let’s break down five NFL free agents and five NFL teams who could really use them right now.

Former Bengals OT La’el Collins quickly receiving interest from other teams

La’el Collins might not be a free agent for long.

If things check out medically, it doesn’t sound like former Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle La’el Collins will need long to find a new team.

According to Jordan Schultz, “nearly a dozen teams” have shown interest in Collins since his release from the Bengals. He added a quote from a league executive: “It’s rare for a starting tackle to become available during the season. It’s just not something that happens. …Let’s see the medicals, but he was very good when healthy.”

The surprising release earlier this week didn’t come with an explanation other than a brief comment from head coach Zac Taylor.

Collins had been on the PUP while recovering from his December ACL tear after starting at right tackle last year. While he rehabbed, the team added Orlando Brown Jr. to play left tackle and shifted Jonah Williams to right tackle.

As of this writing, we don’t know if Collins requested his release in order to go find a starting gig elsewhere, if there was some medical setback or even if he might re-up with the Bengals on a cheaper deal as depth.

Either way, it sounds like fans weren’t the only ones interested after the Bengals let Collins go.

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Zac Taylor comments on the release of La’el Collins

The Bengals head coach speaks on the shocking move.

The Cincinnati Bengals stunned onlookers with the release of offensive tackle La’el Collins this week.

It was a surprise more because of the timing than anything, as the Bengals did save some notable cap space with the move. But it had appeared during training camp that Collins was well on his way to being ready before going on the PUP list.

And while the Bengals still haven’t provided official reasoning for the sudden move, head coach Zac Taylor did speak about it briefly in the aftermath.

“He worked really hard for us and have a lot of respect for LC and the way he went about his business and obviously gave us some really good snaps last year until the injury,” Zac Taylor said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “Enjoy being around LC and he’s one of those guys that just loves ball and you enjoy being around him. Never a great time. That was a tough one.”

The hype around Collins’ arrival in Cincinnati one year ago was massive, including fans even tracking him down at a local mall after he arrived in town to talk with the team.

Unfortunately, the mid-December injury last year and Jonah Williams looking good at right tackle seemed to lead to this. There always seems to be a chance the two parties later reunite on a different deal in situations like this, but that doesn’t take the sting off it now for either.

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Bengals cap space update after release of La’el Collins

What the La’el Collins release means for Bengals cap space.

The Cincinnati Bengals releasing former starting offensive tackle La’el Collins has some noteworthy cap ramifications for the team.

On paper, the move should free up roughly $6 million or so this season and $7 million the next. Spotrac currently has the Bengals at $12.99 million in free cap space.

That said, it’s a little unclear on exact numbers from an outsider’s perspective. Collins was on the PUP and might’ve earned a Week 1 salary and we also don’t have clarification on if there were injury protection benefits.

Either way, the Bengals save a nice chunk of change with the move. It might not necessarily mean another move is on the way, either. The team just entered a season with one of its lowest totals in free space ever, so this might have simply been a way to create a little more breathing room (for injuries or even trade deadline flexibility).

Given that Collins was on the PUP and making near-starter money, there’s always a chance the two parties link back up on a cheaper deal at a later date, too.

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Bengals releasing La’el Collins has fans confused

Bengals fans are a little confused after the release of La’el Collins.

The Cincinnati Bengals pulled a shocker on Tuesday with the release of offensive tackle La’el Collins.

Collins had been rehabbing a knee injury this offseason and started this year on the PUP list.

While Collins did that, the Bengals brought over Orlando Brown Jr. to start at left tackle and shifted Jonah Williams to right tackle.

Moving forward without Williams, the Bengals will rely on D’Ante Smith, Jackson Carman and Cody Ford to play backup tackle roles when necessary.

Understandably, the move left some Bengals fans confused, especially given the team’s recent history with poor depth — and the team not explaining the move while announcing it didn’t help.

Bengals release OT La’el Collins

A shocking move from the Bengals.

There will apparently be no further questions about the right tackle battle for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Tuesday, the team released offensive tackle La’el Collins from the PUP list, according to ESPN’s Field Yates, which makes him a free agent.

ESPN’s Ben Baby noted that the move was listed in the league’s transaction report but has yet to be announced by the Bengals.

Collins’ future with the team fell into question this offseason while he rehabbed a season-ending injury suffered last December when the team signed Orlando Brown Jr. to play left tackle and shifted Jonah Williams to the right side.

Williams has since excelled on that side as he plays out the final year of his rookie deal.

Collins sounded like he was making good headway toward a 53-man return and had two years left on his deal with the team, so it will be interesting to see why this happened. It could be an injury settlement or simply permitting him to go see a starting job elsewhere.

The Bengals also have D’Ante Smith, Jackson Carman and even Cody Ford as backups at the tackle spot, if necessary.

Update: The Bengals announced the move but didn’t elaborate.

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La’el Collins tabbed as player Bengals should attempt to trade

La’el Collins…Bengals trade candidate before cuts?

In the span of a few offseasons, the Cincinnati Bengals have gone from a team with the worst offensive line in football to one with a solid amount of depth.

Said depth includes right tackle La’el Collins, who continues to rehab from a mid-December season-ending injury while Jonah Williams takes over as the starter.

Williams’ quick adaption and performance to right tackle has caused onlookers to wonder if Collins might not stick with the team for the entire 2023 season.

That includes Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay listing Collins as a player a team should try to trade before roster cutdowns:

With Jonah Williams and Brown set to bookend the offensive line, Collins is likely to be relegated to the bench in 2023. Rather than keep him around as a pricey swing tackle, the Bengals should be working to trade him to a team that could use some immediate assistance on the offensive line. If they can’t find one, they would save nearly $8 million by cutting him.

As Kay goes on to note though, Collins’ health weighs heavily in any discussion about his immediate future. Cutting or trading doesn’t figure to come into the equation until he passes a physical, no matter how quickly it seems he’s recovering.

For now, with Jackson Carman backing up left tackle and D’Ante Smith emerging as a backup swing tackle, Collins might remain on the PUP list. That means he could be a mid-season trade candidate, but for now, the Bengals don’t figure to want to trade out quality depth in exchange for cap space.

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