UPDATE: The Cowboys have signed La’el Collins! From ProFootballTalk:
La’El Collins is reportedly set to join one of the NFL’s top offensive lines.
Collins, the LSU standout who went undrafted last week, has signed with the Cowboys, Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegramreported Thursday.
Once widely expected to be a first-round pick, Collins instead went undrafted after Baton Rouge (La.) police said they wanted to talk to him in connection with the investigation of the murder of his ex-girlfriend and the subsequent death of her baby boy. Given the uncertainty regarding Collins’s status, NFL teams passed on using a pick on him in any of the seven rounds.
However, Baton Rouge police have said from the start that Collins is not a suspect in the case. Moreover, police have said a paternity test found Collins was not the father of the deceased child, according to published reports.
The Cowboys have all their draft picks readying for their first organized activities with the Cowboys this weekend. Like every year we’ll get some initial reports on guys and undrafted guys that will turns heads.
One prospect that would surely turn heads in Dallas would be La’el Collins, OT, LSU. Everyone has heard the draft day developments by now, and now the rush to sign the consensus #1 OT in the draft is on. All 32 teams will be interested and all will have some interest.
This sort of opportunity is what dreams are made of, but it’ll be up to Collins to make his dream a reality with a team of his liking.
Will the Cowboys be that team that lands Collins?
Jerry Jones will be heavily involved in closing the deal on Collins, and if you want a closer, Jerry Jones is the man to do it. It’s been reported that the Cowboys have met with Collins Wednesday evening :
The Dallas Cowboys and Collins have a meeting planned, a source said Wednesday. They are the latest team to come after the former All-Southeastern Conference tackle who some projected as high as a top-10 pick in last week’s draft before the Mills news spooked squads.
The Baltimore Sun reported Tuesday that Collins has begun to eliminate teams as possible landing spots. His agents, the Sun reported, have started informing teams if they’ve made the list. (The Advocate)
What happens to the offensive line if Collins is signed?
Collins has eliminated possible landing spots and those are probably teams where Collins would have to compete with an entrenched veteran or teams that have a certain type of blocking scheme. That being said, if Collins were to sign in Dallas you would have to think the odd man out would be Doug Free or Ron Leary.
The Cowboys could keep Doug Free as a backup, but he’d probably request a trade, and Dallas should be able to find a team willing to take on Free’s cap friendly contract. Free recently signed a 3-yr extension in March, but the Cowboys also took Chaz Green in the 3rd round as the swing tackle who could potentially be Free’s replacement at some point. The other likely option is Ron Leary’s position is the spot for Collins to play at. Leary has played solid, but Collins is an upgrade.
The Cowboys wanted Trai Turner the same year we drafted Zack Martin, we waited a year and got his team mate who can now fill that same role and move inside next to Tyron Smith.
Leary could get a RFA tender from the Cowboys next year or they can let him walk, in which case he’ll surely make a sizable contract.
Or it’s also possible that Free stays onboard and takes on a reserve role. Either way, it would be interesting to see how the Cowboys would shuffle the offensive line and depth.
The Cowboys have been very aggressive in retooling and upgrading the offensive line over the past few drafts, so hearing the Cowboys being interested in Collins is no surprise, it’s the right thing to do. Can you imagine Collins next to Martin on the right side? Insane! I’m all for it.
Dane Brulger on Collins:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB-URPeh61k]SUMMARY: A wrecking ball in the run game, Collins isn’t always the most controlled, but he sells out to eliminate bodies in his path that are wearing the other color jersey. He needs to show better bend and consistency in pass protection, too often falling off balance with limited range in his kickslide, but there is no question about his 100% effort and mean streak. The bottom line with Collins is that it doesn’t always look pretty, but he consistently gets the job done, selling out each snap with the upper body strength to get away with some of his miscues. He has enough talent to survive on the edges, projecting as a starting swing tackle at the next level, but might be ideally-suited inside at offensive guard – top-25 talent and long-term NFL starter. (Brugler 2015 Draft Guide)
This is all very intriguing to me, should the Cowboys be pursuing Collins and how do you think bringing him in would change the line up?
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