La’el Collins - Pro Football Rumors

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.”

NFC Notes: Cowboys, Giants, Pryor, Cards

October 14th, 2015 at 12:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cowboys are making a quarterback change for Week 7, giving the nod to Matt Cassel, and that’s not the only starting lineup move they’re considering on offense. As Ed Werder of ESPN.com reported this morning (via Twitter), Dallas may also start recently acquired running back Christine Michael over Joseph Randle, and rookie guard La’el Collins over Ronald Leary.

Head coach Jason Garrett has since confirmed that Collins will indeed start at left guard in place of Leary, though it’s not clear yet what the team’s running back rotation will look like. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) hears from a Cowboys source that the team definitely plans on using Michael more, though Randle may still get the start.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

The Giants are the latest team to work out at Terrelle Pryor as a wide receiver, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). While several clubs that have auditioned Pryor are likely just seeing what the former quarterback looks like in his new position, New York might require some additional depth at WR, with Odell Beckham Jr. and Rueben Randle banged up, and Victor Cruz‘s availability going forward still up in the air. The Giants also tried out wideouts T.J. Graham and A.J. Jenkins, writes Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.
Former Buccaneers defensive lineman Da’Quan Bowers is among the players working out for the Cowboys this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
Free agent cornerback Robert McClain has been busy over the last month and a half, working out for a handful of teams — Wilson tweets that McClain auditioned for the Cardinals this week, the veteran’s fifth tryout since the start of September.
In an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio (SoundCloud link), Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians explained his team’s decision to sign veteran pass rusher Dwight Freeney, suggesting that the club had been in touch with Freeney multiple times since June.

Cole’s Latest: Dez, Thomas, Houston, Collins

July 15th, 2015 at 9:42am CST by Luke Adams

Jason Cole of Bleacher Report has been busy today, providing several updates on franchised players who are seeking new contracts, as well as publishing a Q&A with rookie Cowboys offensive lineman La’el Collins. Let’s dive right in and check out the highlights from Cole so far today….

Cole gets the sense that, while Dez Bryant badly wants to get an extension done with the Cowboys, neither the team nor agent Tom Condon is eager to do a deal — presumably because the two sides don’t want to budge significantly from their current proposals (Twitter link).
Echoing something that Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk said earlier this week, Cole suggests that the Cowboys want to be able to escape a long-term contract for Bryant if the receiver gets into any off-field trouble (video link). As Florio writes in a new PFT piece, the Cowboys have included those sort of clauses in other recent deals, including cornerback Byron Jones‘ rookie contract. Jones’ deal features language that would void his guarantees if he’s arrested or even detained by police, or if he’s fined under the league’s substance abuse or personal conduct policies.
Don’t expect the Broncos to budge much from their current offer to Demaryius Thomas, which is for about $13MM per year, says Cole (video link). While the star wideout is seeking Calvin Johnson money, Denver almost certainly won’t go that high.
The Chiefs and Justin Houston are “still talking” about a multiyear extension, but Cole has no sense of where the two sides will land by the end of the day (Twitter link). Reports this week have suggested that Houston has the best chance of the four unsigned franchised players to come to terms on a long-term deal.
Cole’s Q&A with Collins features plenty of details on the lineman’s draft experience — or lack thereof. The Cowboys rookie tells Cole he lost 10 pounds during the week of the draft due to stress and being unable to eat.

NFC Links: Saints, Seahawks, Lions

June 27th, 2015 at 10:45am CST by Ben Levine

Let’s take a look at some notes from around the NFC on this Saturday morning…

Taking a payout is never easy, especially for a 31-year-old veteran. However, Saints offensive lineman Jahri Evans understands that it’s part of the business, and he has no animosity over having to accept less money for this upcoming season. “It worked out in the end. You know, it’s part of the business, obviously. And I’m glad to be here,” Evans told ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett.
Seahawks rookie Frank Clark recognized that his team was criticized for selecting him in the second round of this past year’s draft. A domestic violence arrest ended his career at the University of Michigan, but the organization was apparently satisfied with the defensive end’s character. Despite the backlash, Clark said he wasn’t affected by the negative press. “It didn’t affect me in no kind of way, because after the Seahawks drafted me I dedicated my game to them,” Clark told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I dedicate everything I did as far as on that field to them because I owe them a lot because No. 1, some people say they took a risk, I say they just gave me an opportunity to show what I can showcase and they had faith in me the whole time.”
Undrafted offensive tackle La’el Collins ultimately signed with the Cowboys, but the rookie told Birkett (in a separate story) that he seriously considered signing with the Lions. “I talked to coach Caldwell briefly, like, a day after the draft,” Collins said. “First of all, he just wanted me to know he was here for me and that if I needed anything, I could talk to him or if I needed to talk to him, things like that…And honestly, I went on a visit to Detroit and I had a great talk with coach Caldwell while I was there, I had a great meeting with them. We connected in a big way. It was nothing but love and respect for him. I think he’s a great coach; I think they’re going to be a great team.”

Lions Notes: Collins, Mays, Ngata

June 26th, 2015 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The offensive line was an area of focus during the draft for the Lions, who used their first-round selection on guard Laken Tomlinson. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the team nearly added another talented rookie lineman following the draft, with LSU’s La’el Collins ultimately opting to sign with the Cowboys rather than the Lions. Here’s more on Collins, along with a couple more items out of Detroit:

Lions head coach Jim Caldwell called Collins the day after the draft, and the young lineman gave “a lot” of consideration to joining the team, as he tells Birkett. “I went on a visit to Detroit and I had a great talk with coach Caldwell while I was there, I had a great meeting with them,” Collins said. “We connected in a big way. It was nothing but love and respect for him. I think he’s a great coach; I think they’re going to be a great team.”
The one-year contract that safety Taylor Mays signed with the Lions is a minimum salary benefit deal that features no signing bonus or guaranteed money, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
Jenny Vrentas of TheMMQB.com spoke to defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, who will be faced with unenviable task of replacing Ndamukong Suh in Detroit, about his transition to the Lions from the Ravens. Asked if he suspected he might be traded heading into the offseason, Ngata admitted that the possibility wasn’t initially on his radar, but as free agency neared, he thought it might happen and wasn’t surprised when it did.