Key members of the Cincinnati Bengals have openly said the team will go as far as looking at trades for offensive linemen this offseason in order to upgrade one of the team’s weak areas.
So why not Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle La’el Collins?
Thursday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the Cowboys are having “active trade conversations” without other teams about Collins.
And the Bengals should 100 percent be in the running.
One of the best right tackles in football, Collins only turns 29 over the summer and is under contract through the 2024 season. He’s only due $10 million this upcoming season too, making it an affordable buy for the Bengals compared to what they’d probably have to pay a top-flight lineman in free agency.
It goes deeper, too. Current Bengals offensive line coach Frank Pollack coached Collins for two years in Dallas. And for those interested in getting as many LSU guys on the team as possible, Collins happens to be one.
Collins has also had solid availability for most of his career so far and this past season over 12 games earned an 82.0 PFF grade with just two sacks allowed.
Simply swapping picks with the Cowboys might be enough to get the job done on a trade package, which is pretty appealing for the Bengals too — they don’t generally like to give up picks and get none back in return.
Hypothetically, should the Bengals trade for a starting right tackle of this caliber and make good on the endless free-agency rumors around center Ryan Jensen, that would be two major upgrades to the line before the draft.
