Patriots are reportedly showing interest in offensive tackle La’el Collins

Patriots

Collins, who plays right tackle, spent the first six years of his career in Dallas before signing with Cincinnati

The Patriots are doing their “due diligence” on former Cowboys and Bengals offensive tackle La’el Collins, who was cut by Cincinnati this week according to Mark Daniels of MassLive.

New England has made a couple of moves to bolster the tackle spot in recent weeks, acquiring Vederian Lowe and Tyrone Wheatley Jr. via trades.

Collins enjoyed success with the Cowboys at the beginning of his career, signing a five-year $50 million contract extension with the franchise in 2019.

But, Collins missed the entirety of the 2020 season with hip and groin injuries. He also suffered a neck stinger in a car crash that ESPN described as “minor” that year.

In 2021, Collins served a five-game suspension for a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.

The Cowboys released Collins last season, and he signed with the Bengals. He made 15 starts for Cincinnati before a knee injury against the Patriots ended his season. The Bengals placed Collins on the PUP list at the beginning of this season but ultimately decided to move on.

Collins has primarily played right tackle during his NFL career. The Patriots started Calvin Anderson at right tackle in Week 1. Anderson missed most of the preseason with an illness but helped the line hold up well against Philadelphia in the season opener.

The Patriots placed offensive tackle Riley Reiff on injured reserve earlier this month. They also released offensive tackle Connor McDermott, who was placed on injured reserve previously.