La’El Collins - Pro Football Rumors

Cowboys To Move La’el Collins To RT?

May 7th, 2017 at 7:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones said multiple times this offseason La’el Collins was an option at right tackle for the Cowboys, and the third-year player may be ready to make a move outside. Collins said, via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter) he has worked mostly at right tackle for the Cowboys this offseason.

Jones said last month that Collins, who has been the primary starter at left guard when healthy during his career, could be used out there in an emergency. But thus far, Collins has worked “solely” at right tackle, Todd Archer of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter). Cowboys coaches told Collins to get ready for work at right tackle, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter).

“I’ll be real clear here, our first preference … is to have him play guard,” Jones said, via the Dallas Morning News, last month. “But we also know that if there’s a guy on our team who might have that flexibility to move out to tackle, then he certainly has that skill set.”

Collins was a full-time starter at left tackle at LSU during the 2013 and ’14 seasons, moving out there after playing at left guard for the Tigers in 2012. With the Cowboys, Collins usurped the since-departed Ronald Leary at left guard as a rookie in 2015 and began last season there. However, a foot injury ended Collins’ season after just three games. Leary also performed better after reclaiming the job. Collins did not come off Dallas’ IR after rumors pointed to that being in play.

The Cowboys obviously will have a change at right tackle after longtime starter Doug Free opted to retire. They signed Byron Bell in the offseason and still have 2015 third-round pick Chaz Green on the roster. Inside, Dallas houses Joe Looney and Jonathan Cooper. The Cowboys re-signed the former top-10 pick to a one-year deal in March.

It’s possible the team is simply preparing the 23-year-old Collins for work at tackle should a situation arise, but there’s a lot to suggest a relocation may be coming for the 6-foot-5 lineman. A position switch would be notable on arguably the game’s premier offensive line, particularly after the Cowboys lost two starters this offseason. Due to his UDFA background, Collins is also entering a contract year, making positional versatility a potential boon to his value.

NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Collins, Eagles

December 16th, 2016 at 1:36pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys are leaning toward activating left guard La’el Collins from injured reserve instead of rookie defensive end Charles Tapper, Brandon George of the Dallas News writes. No final decision has been made, however. Collins was meant to be the Cowboys’ starting left guard this year, but he has been out since Week 3 with a toe injury and was forced to undergo surgery. Fortunately, Dallas has been able to lean on Ronald Leary in his absence.

Here’s more from the NFC East:

The Eagles announced that running back Darren Sproles will be out on Sunday versus the Ravens in the wake of his concussion. As of this writing, the Eagles have three healthy options on the running back depth chart – Ryan Mathews, Kenjon Barner, and Byron Marshall. Barner is expected to serve as the punt returner.
The Eagles could have used Michael Floyd, Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com argues, and he listed several reasons why the former Arizona receiver would have been a good fit for Philly. He argues that unlike others already in-house, Floyd is a proven performer and if you overlook his rookie season and his current so-so campaign, he has at least 800 yards, 47 catches, and five touchdowns in his other three campaigns. He’s also a down-the-field threat, something that the Eagles arguably haven’t had since parting ways with DeSean Jackson. This year, Floyd is averaging just 13.5 yards per catch, but he had an average of 16.0, 17.9, and 16.3 yards per grab in his previous three seasons. By comparison, Jackson averaged 16.2 yards per catch in his final Philly season. Yesterday, the Patriots grabbed Floyd off of waivers while the rest of the league – including Philly – passed on him.
Recently, we listed Redskins offensive coordinator Sean McVay as one of ten potential candidates for the Rams’ head coaching job.

Extra Points: Gronk, Cowboys, Draft, Lions

December 1st, 2016 at 8:55pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Patriots and the family of Rob Gronkowski confirmed in a statement Thursday that the tight end will undergo back surgery Friday. The hope earlier Thursday was that Gronkowski would return during the playoffs, but that’s now in doubt. “We do not expect that he will be able to play for the remainder of the 2016 season, but will await the results of tomorrow’s surgery before making a final determination,” said the two parties (Twitter link).

Cowboys G La’el Collins To Have Surgery

October 4th, 2016 at 8:18am CST by Zachary Links

Cowboys left guard La’el Collins will undergo toe surgery today to repair a ligament tear in his right big toe and will be placed on injured reserve, according to sources who spoke with Todd Archer of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Dallas was hoping that Collins would not require surgery, but it was determined to be the best course of action after meeting with three different specialists, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

Previous reports indicated that surgery would mean up to a 12-week absence for the second-year lineman. After the surgery is performed, we should have a better idea of Collins’ timetable. Under the league’s new IR rules for 2016, Collins could theoretically return to practice after six weeks and play in eight weeks. Teams may only bring one player back from IR each season, however.

Since Collins went down earlier this year, Ronald Leary has replaced him in the starting lineup. Leary wanted out of Dallas this offseason, but the Cowboys are glad they held on to him.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cowboys Holding Off On La’el Collins’ Surgery

September 28th, 2016 at 7:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite already relocating him to their IR list, the Cowboys are not planning for La’el Collins to have surgery to repair a torn toe ligament in the near future. Instead, the team will wait for multiple weeks to see if the ligament can heal on its own, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports (on Twitter).

Per the second-year guard, via Hill (on Twitter), multiple specialists are set to examine the injury. He will continue to receive treatment in the meantime. Currently outfitted with a walking boot, Collins hopes the injury will heal on its own, Hill tweets.

Collins must miss a minimum of six weeks of practice and eight weeks’ worth of Cowboys games. So, regardless of the team’s course of action with its talented young blocker, Collins will be out until at least late November. Should he undergo surgery, Collins could be sidelined up to 12 weeks, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News.

The Cowboys are incredibly well-prepared to handle a loss at this particular position, with former starter Ronald Leary ready to rejoin a group with which he’s quite familiar. He will man the left guard spot until Collins comes back, but considering the impending free agent’s experience and the fluid nature of Collins’ recovery, it might not be a lock the starter reclaims his job late in the season.

Pro Football Focus bestowed its second-worst grade — among full-time guards — on Collins this season for the 186 snaps he’s logged. Football Outsiders ranks Dallas’ offensive front 11th through three games. It ranked sixth in 2015 and first in ’14. Leary started 35 games between 2013-15.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cowboys To Place La’El Collins On IR

September 26th, 2016 at 7:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

7:24pm: Collins’ recovery timeline actually hovers between 10-12 weeks, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter). The surgery on the 23-year-old guard’s big toe is expected to shelve him until December.

7:17pm: La’El Collins‘ toe injury sustained Sunday night will send him to IR, according to Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk. The second-year guard suffered a torn toe ligament against the Bears and will miss 8-10 games, after which the Cowboys could bring him back.

The Cowboys can activate one player from IR this season. Tony Romo remains on the team’s active roster, so his timetable would not interfere with a potential Collins return.

It’s a blow to a Cowboys offensive line coming off a strong performance, but the team has depth after keeping Ronald Leary on its roster despite trade rumors surrounding the backup guard throughout the offseason. A surprise UDFA who was pegged to go off the 2015 draft board in the first round before being connected with a murder investigation, Collins seized the starting left guard job from Leary after five games last season.

The Cowboys declined to trade Leary earlier this offseason, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Now, having the veteran as a swing lineman could be crucial since he’ll slip back into his former position in about as seamless of a transition as could be for a team that just lost a promising blocker.

Leary, though, started 35 games between 2013-15 and was part of the line that sprung DeMarco Murray to the 2014 rushing title. He’s a free agent after the season and, after wanting to go elsewhere to showcase his abilities, the fifth-year player will have a chance to do so in Dallas while Collins recovers.

Dallas was without Tyron Smith as well Sunday night, but the left tackle stalwart’s injury is not believed to be nearly as serious as Collins despite his missing the Chicago tilt.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cowboys OL La’El Collins Out For 6-10 Weeks?

September 26th, 2016 at 6:37pm CST by Zachary Links

Cowboys offensive lineman La’el Collins is believed to have torn a ligament in his foot, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Collins will be out for 6-10 weeks and a forthcoming second opinion will determine whether he needs surgery.

Collins was rated as a top talent in the 2015 draft but a bizarre set of circumstances led him to sign a UDFA contract with the Cowboys. The Cowboys came away with a first-round talent in the guard, but they’ll now have to wait until November or later to see him on the field again.

The Cowboys will miss having Collins in the lineup, but they must be especially grateful to have Ronald Leary as a fill-in. Leary tried to force his way out of Dallas this offseason so that he could start elsewhere, but the Cowboys did not find an offer to his liking. Now, Leary once again has an opportunity to shine. Leary was on the field for only 137 pass snaps and 84 run snaps in 2015, according to the stats compiled by Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Although he did not qualify to be ranked based on that limited sample size, Leary was given an overall grade of 72.2, which would have placed him among the top 30 guards in the NFL last season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Saints Interested In Cowboys OL Ronald Leary

August 4th, 2016 at 9:43am CST by Zachary Links

Back in May, offensive lineman Ronald Leary requested a trade from the Cowboys. Months later, Leary remains in Dallas, but that’s not necessarily for a lack of interest. The Saints have been pursuing a Leary trade for months to no avail, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Meanwhile, NFL GMs hear that the Cowboys are thinking about trading La’el Collins somewhere in order to acquire a defensive end, Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets. However, when Werder asked a Cowboys source about those rumblings, the team official replied, “That’s stupid.”

Leary started at left guard for the Cowboys in 2013 and 2014. In 2015, he started the season in the same role, but Collins – who was graded as a first-round talent before his infamous draft day slide – eventually took the job from him. The Cowboys are planning to start Collins at left guard once again in 2016, but they want all of the help they can get on the offensive line with Tony Romo returning from injury and rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott leading the team’s running back committee.

Leary was on the field for only 137 pass snaps and 84 run snaps in 2015, according to the stats compiled by Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Although he did not qualify to be ranked based on that limited sample size, Leary was given an overall grade of 72.2, which would have placed him among the top 30 guards in the NFL last season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC East Notes: Collins, Cruz, JPP

November 19th, 2015 at 8:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Before choosing to sign with the Cowboys, offensive lineman La’el Collins whittled down his list of suitors from 16, to eight, to six. That list of finalists included the the Bucs, Chargers, Dolphins, Falcons, Giants, and, of course, the Cowboys, Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report writes.

In total, agent Deryk Gilmore of Priority Sports estimates that he was contacted by at least 25 interested teams. Gilmore also estimates that Collins going undrafted cost his client at least $14MM, because that’s the amount that offensive lineman Ereck Flowers got from the Giants on a four-year deal. The agent feels that Collins would not have slipped past the Giants at No. 9, but that should probably be taken with a grain of salt since many mock drafts had the LSU product going later in the first round.

Here’s more out of the NFC East:

Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (on Twitter) could see the Giants moving on from pending free agent wide receiver Rueben Randle this offseason. He feels that Victor Cruz, on the other hand, could be back with the team on a reduced deal. Graziano (on Twitter) also opines that Jason Pierre-Paul is more likely to stay with the club than he was a few weeks ago because of the way he has carried himself since his return. Things were rather contentious between JPP and the Giants this offseason, but everything seems to have mellowed and the defensive end has been productive.
Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones told SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link) that the competition committee was “unanimous” in its decision to OK the trading of compensatory picks. The new rule “creates new opportunities” for teams looking to trade, he added.
Earlier tonight we ran down a few items on the Cowboys, including an op-ed from a leading NFLPA official regarding Greg Hardy.

Extra Points: Pead, Collins, Murray, Saints

November 5th, 2015 at 10:03pm CST by Zachary Links

Running back Isaiah Pead is confident that he’ll regain his footing with the Steelers after three unproductive seasons with the Rams, as Ralph N. Paulk of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. Pead, along with Jordan Todman, is expected to back up DeAngelo Williams during the second half of the regular season. To date, Pead hasn’t looked like the explosive athlete who helped Cincinnati capture the 2009 Big East championship, but he believes that he is about to turn a corner.

Despite their shortcomings on the offensive line coming into the 2015 season, the Eagles didn’t explore signing undrafted free agent La’el Collins, as Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com writes. “We didn’t have any interest,” head coach Chip Kelly said Thursday. Collins went on to sign a three-year deal with the Cowboys worth $1.6MM guaranteed.
Tom Pelissero of USA Today wonders if having DeMarco Murray would change the Cowboys‘ season. While Darren McFadden has been just OK for Dallas, the club’s offensive line continues to be strong. Behind the power running of Murray, the Cowboys boasted one of the league’s best offenses and the top rushing attack. There’s no way to tell if this would be a totally different season with Murray in the backfield, but it certainly wouldn’t have hurt, Pelissero writes.
Saints defensive tackle Kevin Williams was non-committal when asked about his future beyond this season. “This is a fun thing. You get to be around your teammates, and if you can’t have fun with them, you know you’re not a close group,” the 35-year-old said, according to Katherine Terrell of The Times-Picayune. “So we joke and have fun. I think that’s what makes the game fun—the friendships you have.”