La'el Collins, a former undrafted free agent who signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2015, is back on the market. The 30-year-old spent six seasons with the Cowboys before joining the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency last season. He started 15 games for the Bengals but tore his ACL and MCL late in the campaign. Cincy cut him from the PUP list before the season.
Now, he's healthy. The 6-foot-4, 320-pound offensive lineman passed his physical and he is expected to sign in the near future. Roughly a dozen teams have reached out to Collins, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, so the veteran should have plenty of desirable locales to choose from.
As recently as last season, Collins was a sturdy and reliable starter at right tackle. He has switched between tackle positions in his career and he even started as a left guard for Dallas, so he offers some theoretical versatility on the front line. Several NFL teams are in plain need of assistance in Collins' area of expertise. These three in particular should be begging him to sign.
No. 3 NFL team to sign La'el Collins: Chicago Bears
Justin Fields has taken 13 sacks across three weeks after leading the NFL in sacks (55) last season. A large chunk of blame falls on Fields, who simply takes way too long to make his reads, but the Chicago Bears' O-line is a mess. Partly due to injury, and partly due to a lack of experienced talent.
Chicago moved heaven and earth to select Tennessee offensive lineman Darnell Wright with the No. 10 pick in April's NFL Draft. There's an understanding in the front office that the line needs work. Most folks' belief in Fields is beyond the point of wavering, but he's a 24-year-old QB in his third season. If the Bears want to give him a real chance to prove his mettle, it will require a half-decent protection apparatus on the front line.
The Bears are fast approaching another year of rebuilding. The summer's main veteran acquisitions, such as D.J. Moore and Chase Claypool, have fallen embarrassingly flat. There is no juice to the Bears' offense and at 0-3, the season is rapidly approaching disaster status.
Collins can only do so much — and he is, crucially, coming off a major knee injury — but the Bears need to search for help wherever it's available. Last time we saw him, Collins was a good enough player to address Chicago's primary area of weakness.
No. 2 NFL team to sign La'el Collins: Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers continue to deal with injuries up and down the roster, but none stick out more than David Bakhtiari. The three-time Pro Bowl left tackle has missed 24 of his last 27 games and he has been out since Week 1 with lingering knee troubles. Now, he's going under the knife for a fourth time in an attempt to recover from a torn ACL he suffered in 2020.
Jordan Love hasn't been sacked an unreasonable amount (8) this season, but he continues to operate under pressure on a weekly basis. His processing speed has increased dramatically since college, but Green Bay's dispiriting losses in Week 2 and Week 4 featured a regularly collapsed pocket, forcing Love into rushed progressions and errant throws.
With a young QB and a talented veteran RB in Aaron Jones, the Packers should put considerable resources into the front line. Collins is a proven entity with enough veteran savvy to lead a younger group. That becomes especially useful with Bakhtiari, the obvious ringleader in the locker room, unable to suit up.
The Packers are 2-2, but Love looks the part in his first season as a full-time starter. The Packers have the personnel and the playmaking punch to make a genuine postseason run. That should empower the front office to take swings on quality veterans like Collins, who can still help a team win games and perform in clutch moments.
No. 1 NFL team to sign La'el Collins: Houston Texans
The Houston Texans offensive line is battered and bruised. There isn't a less healthy collection of players in the NFL right now. With three offensive linemen on the IR and five others listed as out for the Texans' Week 4 game against Pittsburgh, there's a desperate need for more bodies in the building.
Enter Collins. The veteran has the talent to step in and potentially start for the upstart Texans. There's a lot to like about Houston's team as a whole, from the burgeoning connection between C.J. Stroud and Tank Dell to the revamped defense under DeMeco Ryans and Matt Burke. A gutsy Week 3 win over Jacksonville was proof that the Texans are closer to contention than we initially thought. It's a work in progress, but far from a hopeless cause.
Stroud looks good enough right now — 906 yards and four TDs with zero interceptions — to warrant extra investment in the offensive line. It has been so dire in Houston that Kendrick Green is starting games. Even with age and injury concerns, it would be difficult for Collins not to help the current group. He can at least keep heads above water until the injury list clears up.
The Texans are probably content with letting 2023 count as a trial run for the team's young core. There's no rush to contend, no foolhardy desire to skip steps. But Ryans is a real head coach and Stroud looks like a very real QB. Perhaps it's time to reward his strong start with another competent body on the O-line. The Steelers are about to feast on Sunday.