Patriots should pursue recently released tackle La'El Collins
The Cincinnati Bengals officially released offensive tackle La'El Collins from the Physically Unable to Perform list today. The release comes as a bit of a surprise since the Bengals signed him to a three-year, $21,000,000 deal in March 2022. Collins is a name for Patriots fans to keep an eye on, as they had trade […]
The Cincinnati Bengals officially released offensive tackle La'El Collins from the Physically Unable to Perform list today. The release comes as a bit of a surprise since the Bengals signed him to a three-year, $21,000,000 deal in March 2022. Collins is a name for Patriots fans to keep an eye on, as they had trade talks with the Cowboys before Cincinnati acquired him.
Collins is coming off his worst season in the NFL, not only did he struggle with back injuries before tearing his ACL in late December, but his on-the-field performance was down. The upside for Collins is that he was very good in 2018, 2019, and 2021. He was one of the better right tackles in the NFL during that span. I have included a graph below that references some of his grades via PFF. Collins was ascending in 2018, and was elite in 2019 and 2021, before the crash in 2022. Interestingly, his run-blocking grades in 2022 were still respectable.
| Stats(Min. 500 snaps-OTs only) | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall Grade(PFF) | 71.9(32/64) | 86.4(5/69) | 80.2(14/62) | 57.9(58/66) |
Pass-Blocking Grade(PFF) | 71.8(37/64) | 75.2(28/69) | 74.3(26/68) | 44.2(63/66) |
Run-Blocking Grade(PFF) | 70.3(17/64) | 89.4(3/69) | 89.7(3/68) | 73.5(20/66) |
PFF
The Patriots' offensive line is coming off an abysmal performance against the Eagles. The Patriots are without two starters due to injuries and have adopted a "by committee" approach at right tackle in their quest for stability in that position. This leaves Trent Brown and David Andrews as the only entrenched veteran presences along the O-Line. Rookies guards Sidy Sow and Atonio Mafi were thrust into starting roles in week one due to injuries to Mike Onwenu and Cole Strange. It was a challenging performance for both of them but is worth noting that both rookies were considered developmental prospects, and playing significant roles against an elite defensive line wasn't in the plans for the Patriots when they drafted either player on day three. They allowed a combined 12 pressures, and both finished as among the bottom five offensive linemen in PFF's overall grades (out of 180 offensive linemen who took snaps in week one).
See the included video below for the corresponding film analysis and video.
Mac Jones did a pretty good job of mitigating pressure by getting the ball out quickly. Jones's average time to throw was 2.38 seconds, which ranked 3rd out of 29(minimum 25 dropbacks) His ability to sense pressure and get the ball out quickly played a crucial role in preventing sacks.
Collins' career has derailed due to injuries. He had some injury concerns towards the end of his tenure with the Cowboys as well. This would be the quintessential low-risk, high-reward type of signing. He adds a layer of versatility too, having spent his entire first two seasons at guard before transitioning to tackle. Currently, there is no available information about the status of his knee, but it's worth noting that the ACL/MCL tear occurred only 10 months ago. At only 30 years old, he still has the potential for a lot of good football ahead of him, while he could fill a major need for the Patriots at tackle, he can also provide them with the flexibility to shuffle players around on the offensive line.
Featured image via Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
