In 2024, the Washington Commanders have triumphed despite lacking a well-established offensive line. With Cornelius Lucas and youngster Brandon Coleman filling in at left offensive tackle to defend rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels’ blind side, the bunch has occasionally looked a little patchwork. Right offensive tackle Andrew Wylie missed a Week 13 victory against the Tennessee Titans due to a concussion, and it is unclear if he will return for a stretch run that begins in Week 15 against the New Orleans Saints. Things haven’t been much better on the right side of the line.
In order to add offensive line depth to a squad that is 8-5 and attempting to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2020, Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder believes the Commanders should at least look at signing free agent offensive tackle La’el Collins.
Due to an injury, Andrew Wylie missed Week 13 and hasn’t performed well this season,” Holder said. Therefore, in case of an emergency, Washington may want to consider adding a backup right tackle before the playoffs. Additionally, Collins has played on the interior before. To see what he has left, it couldn’t hurt to at least get him in for a workout. It should be easy to determine whether Collins is still in playing shape if the Commanders choose to invite him in for a workout. He hasn’t played in the regular season since making 15 appearances for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022.
Collins was expected to be selected in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft out of LSU before it was revealed that he was being investigated for the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend, 29-year-old Brittany Mills, who was shot to death in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on April 24, 2015, just six days prior to the draft. Mills was eight months pregnant. Collins went undrafted and later signed with the Dallas Cowboys, despite the fact that he was eventually thrown out as a suspect and a paternity test revealed he was not the child’s father. The murder of Mills is still unsolved over ten years later.
Before the 2019 season, Collins signed a five-year, $50 million contract extension with the Cowboys after starting 11 games as a rookie and 32 straight games in 2017 and 2018. Collins was suspended for five games in 2021 after missing drug tests and allegedly trying to pay the person taking urine samples, in violation of the league’s substance usage policy, after missing the whole 2020 season due to injury.
After the 2021 season, Collins requested and received his release from the Cowboys. He then signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Bengals, where he started 15 games until suffering a horrific knee injury in Week 16 against the New England Patriots that resulted in a torn ACL and MCL. With a lifetime salary of $49.9 million, Collins missed the entire previous season due to a knee ailment after being cut loose by the Bengals in September 2023. In April 2024, he agreed to a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the Buffalo Bills; however, in August 2024, he was cut as part of the team’s final training camp roster cuts.
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