Report: Dallas Cowboys make surprising decision on La’el Collins
The Cowboys have made a surprising decision regarding offensive lineman La’el Collins. According to Tom Archer of ESPN, Dallas is releasing Collins, ending him time with the franchise.
“The Cowboys will release La’el Collins today, per source,” tweeted Archer. “Expected to be a post-June 1 cut, saves $10 million. No trade but Collins will have a good market once he’s free to sign.”
Moreover, the former LSU Tigers product was undrafted in 2015 despite being a former top-5 recruit coming out of high school. Since, he’s become a staple on the Dallas Cowboys offensive line which has been one of the most dominant position groups year after year.
“He is one of the most outstanding offensive linemen in the country,” team owner Jerry Jones said recently of Collins. He’s spent his entire career in Dallas, but that time seems to be coming to a close rapidly.
With Dallas moving on from stars, namely Amari Cooper, Collins joins the group of soon-to-be former Cowboys that were simply making too much money for a team that doesn’t have it. With the Cowboys looking to make a Super Bowl push sooner rather than later, Jones and company believe these are moves made striving for that goal. The question remains if the opposite will be true moving forward as more moves are likely to be made before the 2022 season gets underway in September.
More on La’el Collins, NFL future
Moreover, it was reported the New England Patriots emerged as a potential trade partner for the Dallas Cowboys when it comes to right tackle La’el Collins earlier this week. However, the AFC East franchise can now simply sign the former LSU star without giving up anuthing.
“The Patriots have weighed acquiring Dallas OL La’El Collins via trade, according to sources,” Callahan said. “Price had been a sticking point, but they’ve now effectively doubled their cap space by trading away Shaq Mason.”
Dallas was looking to get rid of Collins to save room on the salary cap, believing Terrance Steele can be the starting right tackle going forward. After initially saying a trade was likely, reports are now surfacing revealing the Cowboys would have cut Collins.
Despite being a former On3 Consensus top-five overall prospect, Collins went undrafted in 2015 and was picked up by the Cowboys shortly after. He has been a starter for the franchise ever since but due to cap issues, Dallas is looking to move on.
For the Patriots, they could now bring in a veteran starter to play right tackle to protect franchise quarterback Mac Jones. Giving up the third-fewest sacks was already impressive enough and adding Collins would help even more in pass protection. If head coach Bill Belichick and New England can pull it off, a stud will be entering the AFC East.