Bengals release offensive tackle La'el Collins from PUP list
In a somewhat shocking move, the Cincinnati Bengals have released right tackle La'el Collins. The team did not announce the move, though it did appear on the NFL transactions list Tuesday afternoon. ESPN's Field Yates was the first to report it. Collins, a ninth-year player in 2023, signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the […]
In a somewhat shocking move, the Cincinnati Bengals have released right tackle La'el Collins.
The team did not announce the move, though it did appear on the NFL transactions list Tuesday afternoon. ESPN's Field Yates was the first to report it.
Collins, a ninth-year player in 2023, signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Bengals last offseason, most notably after fans found him walking around nearby Kenwood Towne Center in what was one of the wildest days of Bengals free agency.
In 2022, Collins started 15 games for the Bengals before suffering a torn ACL against the New England Patriots on Christmas Eve. Collins was forced to sit out during the Bengals' playoff run and start rehabbing for 2023.
It looked like Collins was making great progress during this past offseason, but the 30-year old lineman never practiced during training camp and never got to compete with Jonah Williams for his starting job again. The team placed him on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list at the start of the season.
Releasing Collins now, just one week into the season, could mean anything for him and the team. He wasn't taking up a roster spot, as he wouldn't have to until three weeks after being activated off the PUP list, and his contract wasn't keeping the Bengals from complying to the salary cap.
The Bengals letting him go most likely means his recovery was not going as accordingly, and the team is simply cutting weight. It was always an unknown how a player at his age and stature was going to return to form after such a devastating injury. We can only speculate how things are trending with him.
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