La’el Collins

AFC Notes: Broncos, Idzik, Jags, S. Smith

May 28th, 2015 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

In a Wednesday mailbag, a reader asked Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post why the Broncos didn’t make more of a push to sign La’el Collins. According to Renck, the lack of a resolution for Collins’ potential criminal case gave Denver pause during the draft — the team shied away from him in the seventh round more because of that uncertainty, not because of the lineman’s vow that he wouldn’t report if he was drafted on Day 3.

Once Collins became a free agent, he narrowed his choices rather quickly to teams with proven quarterbacks, coaches and line coaches. Denver offered all of those things, but Collins didn’t want to play in cold weather and wanted a team close to home, leading him to the Cowboys.

Of course, given today’s news on Ryan Clady‘s torn ACL, the Broncos may be regretting not rolling the dice on Collins with one of their seventh-round picks.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

Former Jets general manager John Idzik, hired back in February as a consultant by the Jaguars, has been named to a full-time position of special assistant to the general manager, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. “He’ll do a little bit of everything,” GM Dave Caldwell said of Idzik. “He’s a great cultural fit for us. He has a great understanding of the salary cap and the different ways to do a contract.” As O’Halloran writes, the Jags also promoted Chris Polian to director of player personnel and Chris Driggers to director of pro personnel.
Ravens wideout Steve Smith said he didn’t really contemplate retiring after last season, but he knows he won’t play forever, or even until he’s 40, like Jerry Rice (Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun). Smith turned 36 earlier this month.
Browns third-round running back Duke Johnson wasn’t in attendance when the team’s OTAs got underway this week. However, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, it’s because of a personal matter rather than anything contract-related. Johnson is the only one of Cleveland’s 12 draftees who remains unsigned.
Titans running back Bishop Sankey was a bit of a disappointment in his rookie season, but the Titans are betting he’ll be better following some offseason strength training, Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean writes.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Collins, J. Smith, Giants, Davis

May 15th, 2015 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

In a piece for TheMMQB.com, Robert Klemko details La’el Collins‘ unusual draft journey, from the death of his former romantic partner Brittany Mills to his decision to sign with the Cowboys. Klemko’s story is full of interesting details, including a reveal that, despite telling teams their client would refuse to sign and would re-enter the 2016 draft if he was selected on Day 3, Collins’ agents were probably bluffing.

“We can put it on the record now: We were never going back in the draft,” Rick Smith of Priority Sports said of waiting for the 2016 draft. “If someone had drafted him, we would’ve had a long, long discussion about it, but at the end of the day you can’t go back in the draft. He could get injured, gain weight, or 10 great tackles could come out. Too many risks.”

Smith also revealed that a team – one that had already drafted four offensive lineman – told Collins’ camp it planned to select him in the seventh round, but ultimately decided against it after being informed again by Smith that it would be a waste of a pick. As Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk notes, the only team that drafted four offensive linemen was the Rams.

Here’s more on Collins, along with a few more items from around the NFC:

Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) has the specific details on Collins’ three-year, $1.599MM contract with the Cowboys, which includes a $21K signing bonus.
Speaking on Thursday to Pro Football Talk, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said he should have “more of a feel” for defensive end Justin Smith‘s future today, per Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Smith has been mulling either returning for another season or retiring, and is expected to make his decision soon.
Jordan Raanan of NJ.com passes along signing bonus and salary info for the Giants‘ undrafted free agent class. The team’s biggest UDFA investment was Tulane offensive lineman Sean Donnelly, who received $15K in guaranteed salary, along with a $15K signing bonus.
Asked again about his contract negotiations with the Panthers, linebacker Thomas Davis referred to those talks as “a work in progress,” though he expressed optimism that “it’ll eventually get done.” Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer has the full quotes and details.
Defensive tackle Josh Brent has decided to end his playing career, but that doesn’t mean his ties to the Cowboys will be severed, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, who writes that owner Jerry Jones plans to continue to support Brent in different ways.

Draft Notes: Vikings, Rams, Patriots, Bears

May 10th, 2015 at 12:21pm CST by Ben Levine

The Vikings could have an exciting offense next season, and that’s because the front office dedicated last year’s draft picks to improving their team on that side of the ball. Although the organization had acquired some foundational players, including quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, head coach Mike Zimmer said his team was still considering offensive weapons in the first round of this year’s draft. Via Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune…

“The Teddy thing was huge because that was really the number one priority of the organization. We had to get a quarterback we thought could take us to the next level. Honestly, we didn’t go into this draft saying this was going to be a defensive draft. We went in and we had offensive guys targeted, but they might have gotten picked before we could pick them.

When we picked Trae Waynes, there were three or four guys there we thought we would be happy with, but part of it with Trae was the position he plays. Typically when you draft those corners, you draft pretty high. Once it gets down lower, to the second round, they don’t produce like the higher picks. Knock on wood — we hope we’re drafting a little lower next year.”

Let’s take a look at some more draft notes from around the NFL…

The Rams were involved in the bidding for undrafted free agent La’el Collins, head coach Jeff Fisher told ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner. “Yeah, we were involved in it,” Fisher said. “There were some things, we still had some unanswered questions at the time in which he made his decision but we were involved. We were told by them that we were in the final four, which is not necessarily a consolation but we were involved, yes.”
Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston and Colts quarterback Andrew Luck contacted Collins to recruit him to their respective teams, tweets Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez. The reporter adds that the lineman seriously considered the Dolphins‘ pitch.
Mike Reiss of ESPN.com believes the Patriots would have willingly traded their first-rounder if an inquiring team had sweetened their offer. Ideally, the Patriots would have preferred an early second-round pick and a third-round pick in return. Reiss clarifies that the team is still please with their selection of Malcom Brown.
The Bears had been eyeing quarterback Shane Carden during the draft, and ESPN.com’s Jeff Dickerson writes that the team was thrilled about the opportunity to sign the player as an undrafted free agent. “He was actually a guy that we had good grades on, a guy that could have potentially been a draft pick,” Bears coach John Fox told Dickerson. “Our scouts, obviously, saw a lot more of him than the coaching staff. But he was productive, smart. He has good moxie, being able to execute in a pass offense that throws the ball quite a bit and was very productive.”

Rams Notes: Collins, Barksdale, Rodriguez

May 9th, 2015 at 4:42pm CST by Rob DiRe

Although he signed with the Cowboys, the Rams expressed interest in La’el Collins after not being selected in the 2015 NFL Draft. Head coach Jeff Fisher said the team was “involved” in talks, and that Collins told him they were among the four finalists for his services, according to Howard Balzer of LockerDome.com (via Twitter).

Balzer adds that Fisher said the Rams might have pursued Collins harder had the team not been so successful during the draft (via Twitter).

Here are some other notes surround the Rams during the post-draft portion of the offseason:

Fisher also addressed the ongoing talks with offensive tackle Joe Barksdale, who has not yet been re-signed by the team and is currently a free agent, although there was not much to update on, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN (via Twitter). “We’ve been talking to Joe,” said Fisher. “We’ve had some conversations.”
One of the players the Rams have brought in for a tryout is 5’8″ receiver Daniel Rodriguez, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The 27-year-old Rodriguez, who walked on the football team at Clemson, served with the U.S. Army between 2006 and 2010, in both Afghanistan and Iraq, earning a Purple Heart during his service. He now is trying to make the Rams, as an unlikely undrafted free agent.
Rookie orientation for the Rams has come to an end, but the team will keep the rookies at Rams Park until late June, writes Thomas (via Twitter). The team will mix them in with the veterans starting on Thursday.

Cowboys Sign La’el Collins

May 9th, 2015 at 3:22pm CST by Luke Adams

3:22pm: La’el Collins’ contract with the Cowboys has been altered, reports Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). The total value of the contract has been reduced by $50,000 because of the 25-percent rule, which limits the year-to-year raises allowed for rookie contracts.

Collins’ deal will remained fully guaranteed with no offset, according to Pro Football Talk.

SATURDAY, 8:24am: The NFL has “disapproved” Collins’ fully guaranteed contract, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). However, there’s no need to panic if you’re a Cowboys fan; Wilson notes that the two sides will “tweak” the language before refiling the contract next week.

THURSDAY, 3:38pm: The Cowboys formally introduced Collins today at a press conference, as Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News tweets.

1:02pm: Collins’ deal with the Cowboys doesn’t include offsets, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSports.com (Twitter links). La Canfora adds that about 25 teams expressed some level of interest in Collins, who will have a chance to start at left guard this year in Dallas. That suggests that Leary’s days in Dallas could be numbered.

12:34pm: After paying a visit to Dallas yesterday to meet with Jerry Jones and the Cowboys, La’el Collins is signing with the team, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). Collins had reportedly been scheduled to fly to Miami to meet with the Dolphins, and had other teams trying to set up visits, but the former LSU lineman has instead decided to join one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.

The news comes as a bit of a surprise, since Collins wasn’t expected to make a decision on his NFL destination until at least this weekend, and it’s not clear if he’s been officially exonerated yet by Baton Rouge police in an investigation into the death of Brittney Mills. Mills, believed to be an ex-girlfriend of Collins’, was shot and killed on April 24. She was pregnant at the time of her death, and while the child initially survived the incident, he also passed away earlier this week.

Baton Rouge police have maintained all along that Collins is not considered a suspect in the case, and a paternity test proved that he was not the father of the child. However, after all 32 teams repeatedly passed on Collins during last week’s draft, it appeared that those clubs would wait for a formal exoneration before proceeding on the undrafted free agent.

Still, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), the Cowboys monitored Collins’ situation closely from the beginning, doing “endless homework” on him, and nearly drafting him a few times. So presumably the organization is confident in the former LSU lineman’s character. According to multiple reports, Dallas rolled the red carpet out for Collins during his visit, with Jones, Tony Romo, and several of the team’s offensive linemen in attendance. The Cowboys owner reportedly told Collins that the club wants to assemble “the greatest offensive line ever.”

Having paved the way for the NFL’s leading rusher (DeMarco Murray) in 2014, that offensive line is already perhaps the league’s best, and it’s not clear if there will be room for Collins in the starting lineup in 2015. Left tackle Tyron Smith, center Travis Frederick, and right guard Zack Martin are all Pro Bowlers, while left guard Ronald Leary and right tackle Doug Free are solid veterans. Leary is heading into the final year of his rookie contract though, while Free doesn’t have guaranteed money on his deal beyond this season, so perhaps the Cowboys view Collins as a long-term replacement at one of those spots.

Collins had been viewed as a likely first-round pick before he was connected to a murder investigation. He and his camp had asked if he could enter the supplemental draft instead, but that request was turned down by the NFL. Multiple reports also suggested that Collins would sit out a year if he was selected on day three in the draft, opting to re-enter the draft pool in 2016, in the hopes of being picked much higher. Ultimately, since he went undrafted, Collins’ options were limited.

Because teams can only offer UDFAs minimum-salary contracts, Collins will be in line for a three-year deal worth about $1.65MM, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. That includes base salaries totaling $1.575MM, plus the team’s remaining bonus money for UDFAs. Collins’ contract will be fully guaranteed, per Rapoport (Twitter link), and he’ll be able to renegotiate it after two years.

The signing of Collins is the latest indication that the Cowboys aren’t afraid to take chances on players with off-field red flags. Already this offseason, the team has signed defensive end Greg Hardy – who now faces a 10-game suspension for a domestic violence incident – and used a second-round draft pick on Nebraska pass rusher Randy Gregory, who failed a drug test at the combine.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Tony Romo Discusses Future, Organization, Collins

May 9th, 2015 at 10:53am CST by Ben Levine

Tony Romo isn’t getting any younger, and the Cowboys’ recent moves could be indication that the team is loading up for one final playoff run. Three of the team’s moves have received particular attention: the selection of defensive end Randy Gregory and the signings of defensive end Greg Hardy and offensive lineman La’el Collins.

Whether these moves are successful remains to be seen. Regardless, the team’s franchise quarterback is a particular fan of the transactions, and he indicated that some of the signings could actually help extend his career. Michael Florek of the Dallas Morning News caught up with Romo at the Emmitt Smith’s Charity Invitational Dinner, and the veteran discussed his reactions to the moves. We’ve compiled some of the more notables quotes below…

On the Cowboys’ window to compete for a Super Bowl:

“I just think the way Jason and Stephen and Jerry have built this team over the last three or four years has been from the inside out and you’re seeing the benefits of that. We’re still going. This wasn’t a one-year, two — we’re building this for the next five, six, seven years to sustain and any time you get an opportunity to get a guy like Collins you should take advantage of that.”

On how long he can continue playing in the NFL:

“When you have a good offensive line like we do the thought definitely crosses your mind to ensure you do everything possible to play longer than maybe what you had envisioned. We’ll reassess that in a few years. My wife will tell you, I’m talking a little more long term than I maybe had been. So we’ll see.”

On the Cowboys’ signing of La’el Collins, and the rookie’s journey:

“There are different paths to where you want to go. His was not ideal, nor was mine. His was different than mine, I don’t pretend, but I do know what it’s like not to get drafted when you know you have an opportunity to and I couldn’t imagine if you were a first-round guy who had to go from that weekend.

“This doesn’t happen 20 years ago, simply because of the internet and social media and what could happen and the way it could be perceived. I feel bad. That’s the one area you have to watch in life is just the attacks. In the court system it’s innocent until proven guilty but in the social world it’s really guilty until you’ve shown everybody you’re innocent. He’s a classic example of that. You hurt for guys like this that take a big hit.”

On Collins’ ability to pick his destination:

“Very few people are afforded that. I feel lucky and blessed now. If you’re going to be a player … there are benefits to picking your team. We all want to go in the first round but that doesn’t happen. You can look at it anyway you want but it still ended up being a very good thing for him.”

Cowboys Notes: Collins, Leary, Jones

May 8th, 2015 at 8:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

La’el Collins decided to choose the Cowboys because of what he hopes will be a more lucrative second contract, reports Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).

Cole describes Collins’ mindset of attempting to catch on with the league’s best offensive line in hopes of inflating his value in the process. Collins, who Cole expects to start at left guard in place of Ronald Leary this season, can renegotiate his deal after two years, something the LSU product hopes to do after the circumstances that conspired to keep him out of the draft depreciated his value considerably.

Here is some more news coming out of Dallas on Friday night …

Collins’ arrival doesn’t necessarily mean potential competitors up front are trade bait, Jerry Jones tells Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Leary is perceived to be the weak link on a formidable front, but the 26-year-old guard improved his play considerably last season, finishing as the 19th-best guard in football on Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). Davison does list Collins among his locks to start up front — either at left guard or right tackle — along with Tyron Smith at left tackle, Zack Martin at right guard and Travis Frederick at center. Right tackle Doug Free signed a three-year extension in March.
Jones has been busy not just adding three players with first-round talent but discussing it. Calling into a Dallas radio station KRLD, the Cowboys owner said he’d be open to trading the team’s 2016 first-round pick for help now, writes David Helman of Fox Sports Southwest. The question posed to Jones centered on running back or defensive help, to which the owner replied: “I’d be reluctant to, but certainly if the right situation came along that could improve us now, with where we are with (Tony) Romo, his career and where we are with what we’ve put together, it’s a good time to go for it,” Jones said. So the Adrian Peterson-to-Dallas rumors may still be clinging to life. Jones has traded first-rounders for talent in the past with sketchy results, sending the Lions three picks for Roy Williams in 2008 and exchanging two first-rounders with the Seahawks for Joey Galloway in 2000.
Appearing on KESN in Dallas, TheMMQB.com’s Peter King likened the Cowboys’ acquisition of Collins to a “stealth bombing,” allowing Dallas to procure three top-20 players on its draft board. “I bet the average salary of those two guys this year is going to be a million dollars,” King told the radio station. “If that. And so to me, the Cowboys caught a tremendous break in some ways.” They’ll likely total more than $1MM together next year, but a tremendous bargain nonetheless, should these gambles result in consistent on-field availability.
The Cowboys owner offered extensive praise for Collins in an interview with KRLD. Summarized by the Dallas Morning News, the conversation featured Jones preferring Collins’ versatility and desiring a young line that could stay together for as many as 10 years.

NFC Notes: Hardy, Kalil, Bucs

May 7th, 2015 at 11:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The arbitrator assigned to Greg Hardy‘ suspension appeal backed the NFL in the Adrian Peterson case, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports writes. That could be bad news for the Cowboys star as he looks to cut down his 10-game suspension. Hardy’s deal, signed in March, gives him a base value of $11.3MM for 2015, though much of it is tied into per-game roster bonuses. More out of the NFC..

Vikings left tackle Matt Kalil underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees this offseason, two people with knowledge of the procedures told Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports. Kalil had his 2016 option exercised on Monday despite a frustrating 2014 campaign.
The Vikings “tried hard” to land LSU offensive tackle La’el Collins, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets, but he rightly notes that most of the NFL did as well. Earlier today, Collins signed with the Cowboys. Collins wasn’t expected to make a decision on his NFL future for some time, but owner Jerry Jones clearly won him over.
Buccaneers center Evan Dietrich-Smith has legally changed his name to Evan Smith, which is what he went by until he went to college, Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com tweets.
The Buccaneers have fired pro scouting director Scott Cohen, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

La’el Collins Rumors: Thursday

May 7th, 2015 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

NFL teams can’t make visits to Baton Rouge to meet with LSU offensive lineman La’el Collins until the school’s final exams conclude later this week, but clubs are finding ways around that rule, making informal recruiting pitches and bringing Collins to them rather than going to him. A report last night indicated that the undrafted free agent was visiting the Cowboys in Dallas, and we have more details on that meeting, as well as Thursday’s other updates on Collins:

The Colts are trying to set up a meeting with Collins, and the Falcons are also in the running to sign him, tweets Michael Cauble of WBRZ in Baton Rouge. In total, Collins has five teams on his radar, and is weighing each situation, considering playing time and other factors, according to Cauble (Twitter link).
Per Cauble (Twitter link), Collins is scheduled to fly to Miami for a more formal meeting with the Dolphins within the next 24 hours.

Earlier updates:

Collins received the “red carpet treatment” from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who hosted the lineman at his private residence in Dallas, and was joined by Tony Romo and the team’s offensive line, writes Chad Sabadie of Fox 8 New Orleans. According to Sabadie’s source, Jones told Collins that the Cowboys “want to assemble the greatest offensive line ever.”
Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter links), who also reported on Collins’ meeting with the Cowboys, writes that the rookie lineman is taking his time, weighing his options, and looking for the best fit.
Jordan Raanan of NJ.com examines what sort of money teams could offer to Collins, noting that clubs already committing a good chunk of bonus money to other undrafted free agents could be at a slight disadvantage, since they’d have little left to offer from their UDFA pools.

Latest On La’el Collins

May 6th, 2015 at 9:52pm CST by Zachary Links

9:52pm: Collins will visit with the Cowboys, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).

7:43pm: The results of La’el Collins‘ paternity test show that he is not the father of his now deceased ex-girlfriend’s child, reps for the tackle tell Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Collins also passed a polygraph test administered by an independent investigator in connection with the case, Anderson hears.

Of course, Collins was still known to have a relationship with Brittney Mills, the slain pregnant woman, and this news alone will probably not exonerate him of wrongdoing with law enforcement or with potentially interested NFL teams.

Meanwhile, a league insider told Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel (on Twitter) that teams are scared about Collins’ situation because he supposedly made threatening texts to the woman who was murdered. Kelly followed that tweet up (link) by saying that Collins should be considered innocent until proven guilty of any wrongdoing.

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