Former Cincinnati Bengals right tackle La’el Collins is officially no longer a member of the Cincinnati Bengals organization. After starting the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, the Bengals decided to cut bait and move on after just one season. There is no denying that Collins had a rough year last year, but when healthy, he is still a starting-caliber tackle in the optimal scheme. Additionally, he has some experience at guard and can move around the offensive line when required. Some team out there will pull the trigger on Collins, the only question is which team will it be?
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5 Teams That Could Sign La’el Collins
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots have spent the past few months attacking the right tackle position with a small army of random signings. The team clearly doesn’t feel good about the position, especially since Riley Reiff is on the injured reserve. Calvin Anderson did his best at right tackle against the Philadelphia Eagles, but he still had a rough day at the office. The Patriots were reportedly in on La’el Collins when he was a free agent back in 2022, so it would make sense for them to go after him now and see if last year was just a fluke.
New York Giants
It’s too early for the New York Giants to completely give up on 2022 first-round pick Evan Neal, but they need to start thinking about a Plan B. After a dismal rookie season, Neal had an equally terrible Week 1, finishing with a 46.8 PFF grade in the lopsided 40-0 loss. Daniel Jones needs adequate blocking if he is to ever justify his massive contract, and La’el Collins could provide that. In the short term, Collins can recover from his injury while Neal tries to lock down his starting spot. However, if he fails to improve, Collins can take over and improve the position.
Kansas City Chiefs
Left tackle Donovan Smith picked up right where he left off in 2022, and any Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans in the world will tell you that is not a good thing. Smith was terrible on Thursday Night Football, allowing pressure on a regular basis and making Patrick Mahomes’ life a lot harder than it needed to be. La’el Collins has not played left tackle in the NFL, so he couldn’t be a 1:1 replacement for Smith. However, the Chiefs originally signed Jawaan Taylor to play left tackle. If Smith continues to play like this, then perhaps Kansas City will shift Taylor to the left side and put Collins in at right tackle.
New Orleans Saints
Trevor Penning came into the NFL as a raw, high-ceiling prospect who needed some time before he was ready to actually start. A player like this can help the right organization, but he can also get a quarterback killed in the short term. Penning missed the vast majority of his rookie season due to injury and had a rough season debut against the Tennessee Titans. Penning plays left tackle, which makes it hard to justify a La’el Collins signing, but Collins has played left guard before. If Penning doesn’t improve, New Orleans might have no other option than to sign Collins and hope he can figure out a new position on the fly.
Miami Dolphins
Miami’s neverending quest to find adequate blockers for Tua Tagovailoa has seemingly continued into the 2023 season. While the offense was largely unstoppable in Week 1, it certainly wasn’t because of the offensive line play. Right tackle Austin Jackson finished the night with a 53.9 PFF grade, good for the 53rd-best mark among 65 eligible players. Obviously, this isn’t ideal, especially for a team like Miami that is trying to compete for a Super Bowl. La’el Collins would be an upgrade and could help make this offense even more dangerous.
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Main Photo: Eric Canha – USA Today Sports
