The San Francisco 49ers face urgent offensive line needs amid injury, and an experienced starter in La’el Collins remains available. Bleacher Report suggests the signing for the 49ers as tackles Trent Williams (groin) and Jaylon Moore (concussion) plus guard Aaron Banks (toe) remain banged up. Moore and Banks didn’t practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but Williams had limited participation on Wednesday and practiced on Thursday.
“Collins has experience playing guard and tackle, and it would be smart to have a proven veteran on hand as an insurance policy for the playoffs,” Bleacher Report staff wrote. A regular starter for the Dallas Cowboys over four seasons, Collins has 86 career starts and another three in the postseason. Collins played for the Cowboys from 2015 to 2021 before he joined the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022.
He started 15 games for the Bengals last year, but Collins went down with an ACL and MCL tear late in the season. His comeback attempt this year fell short as the Bengals released him in September after his time on the reserve/PUP list. Collins fully expected to get back on the field this year, which he expressed to Sports Illustrated’s All Bengals writer James Rapien before the season. “Every day, I’m able to do some different, I can tell that my knee’s locked in there it’s stable,” Collins told Rapien. “It’s not going anywhere.”
