The Cincinnati Bengals signed former Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle La’el Collins to a three-year contract, the team announced Sunday night.
The Bengals, not far removed from their run to the Super Bowl, now have added offensive linemen Ted Karras, Alex Cappa and Collins the NFL free-agency signing period to help protect star quarterback Joe Burrow.
Cincinnati’s latest move reunites Collins with assistant coach Frank Pollack, who oversaw the Cowboys’ offensive line when Collins entered the league in 2015. Pollack met with local media in Cincinnati on Friday, when the offensive lineman was at Paul Brown Stadium during his visit. Pollack said he had a “great relationship” with Collins during their time in Dallas and said he had the disposition the Bengals sought in free agency.
“He definitely fits the mold of a ‘glass eater,'” Pollack said. “Just watch his tape. That’s clearly evident. He is nasty and he was a lot of fun to coach.”
The Cowboys released Collins on March 17 and designated it a post-June 1 move that will save them $10 million on their salary cap.
The Cowboys had trade discussions with teams at the NFL scouting combine and had given Collins’ agents, Deryk Gilmore and Peter Schaffer, the ability to seek a trade. The New England Patriots had interest, just as they did in Amari Cooper, sources told ESPN’s Todd Archer, but Collins’ contract was an issue.
Collins signed a five-year, $50 million contract extension in 2019 that carried guaranteed money into this season. However, a five-game suspension last year for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy voided the $6.48 million in guarantees.
Over the past two seasons, Collins missed 21 of 33 games to injury or suspension. He did not play in 2020 because of hip surgery and started 10 of the 12 games he played in 2022.
Collins signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent after circumstances saw him go from a potential first-round selection to not selected at all after his name was connected to a murder investigation. The Cowboys signed him after a dinner at Jerry Jones’ house in which he was joined by coaches and soon-to-be teammates.
He began his career at left guard but missed 13 games in 2016 because of a toe injury that required surgery. In 2017, Collins moved to right tackle and started 47 of the next 48 games. He had his best season in 2019, but the hip injury has hurt his productivity since.