A former 71-game starter of the Dallas Cowboys could sign with an AFC contender. Free agent offensive tackle La’el Collins, who started 71 of his 74 appearances with the Cowboys between 2015 and 2021, participated in a workout with the Buffalo Bills on Friday, December 29.
The 30-year-old Collins originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent of the Cowboys back in 2015. The 6-foot-4, 315-pound tackle was a highly touted prospect coming out of LSU, garnering Second-Team All-American honors during the 2014 season and First and Second-Team All SEC honors during the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
Collins was regarded as a first-round pick and a top 10 pick entering the 2015 NFL Draft. However, off-the-field issues involving the shooting death of a pregnant woman he was involved with — Collins was not considered a suspect — along with his agent threatening that Collins wouldn’t play if he was drafted after the third round led to the former highly touted tackle going undrafted.
He would then go on to sign a three-year contract worth $1.6 million with the Cowboys. He would quickly emerge as the starting left guard for Dallas during his rookie season before shifting as the starter at right tackle from 2017 until the end of his tenure with the Cowboys at the end of the 2021 season.
