The versatile OL reveals the encouraging reasons why he signed with the Bills

La’el Collins is no stranger to holding grudges.

It’s something that’s been there since the start of his professional career. Initially considered a top prospect in the 2015 NFL Draft, Collins fell through the cracks in the event several rounds due to off-the-field character issues. This was a blow to Collins, whose talent was nothing like that of the average undrafted free agent; he landed with the Dallas Cowboys, where he started 11 games for the team as a rookie, although he initially joined the team as a depth lineman.

He began his professional career at left guard, starting 14 games at the position during his first two professional seasons. He tore a ligament in his toe just weeks into his sophomore campaign, and moved to right tackle upon his return in 2017. He started 57 more games at that position during the remainder of his tenure in Dallas, establishing himself as a standout player on one of the league’s best offensive lines before signing a three-year contract with the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals in the 2022 offseason.

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He would start 15 games at right tackle for the Bengals during the 2022 season before tearing his ACL and MCL in a Week 16 win over the New England Patriots. The illness would keep him on the shelf for the entire 2023 campaign; he was released in September after initially being placed on the physically unable to perform list.

And that winding, adversity-filled road brings Collins to Western New York, where the 30-year-old is fighting to extend his professional career. He signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills – a team he reportedly considered starting his NFL career with – during the 2024 offseason, joining an offensive line coming off a 2023 campaign in during which she admirably protected otherworldly signalman Josh Allen. .

Collins’ professional career hasn’t gone as planned in recent years. How does he plan to get it back on track?

By doing something he has been doing for a long time, proving the skeptics wrong.

“They brought me here to play football and I came here to dominate and I’m going to let everything else take care of itself,” Collins said, according to WGRZ’s Jonathan Acosta. “I’m going to show up every day and go to work. Help the kids and do whatever they ask of me.

Collins didn’t play a single game in the 2023 season, taking the entire campaign to recover from his serious leg injury (he joined the Cowboys’ practice squad late, but didn’t see a live game). The veteran feels he could have joined a team and played meaningful football last year, but mental recovery, for the lineman, was as important as physical rehab.

“It’s a difficult situation to be in,” Collins said. “Dealing with an injury as traumatic as a torn knee is something you can’t really explain. I felt like last year maybe I could have put myself in a position to play football, but I knew mentally the tank was empty. »

Collins joins a Buffalo offensive line that returns four of its five starters; the team parted ways with stalwart center Mitch Morse in the 2024 offseason, planning to fill that spot by moving starting left guard Connor McGovern to center. Former Super Bowl-winning lineman David Edwards is expected to fill in at left guard in McGovern’s absence; that said, Collins could reasonably win the job with a strong training camp and preseason. With 14 professional starts at the position under his belt, it’s not a stretch to envision Collins usurping Edwards on the depth chart.

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Collins also could have been brought in to simply serve as a reliable depth option behind right tackle Spencer Brown; the edge tackle is coming off his best professional season, but Brown’s NFL career has generally yielded mixed results. Having Collins behind him as a proven insurance policy isn’t a bad position to be in for a team with championship aspirations.

Whatever his ultimate role, Collins is just grateful to have another opportunity. So he can’t wait to take advantage of it.

“Anytime I get a chance to take a shot, whether it’s one, two or three, I take advantage of that opportunity that’s given to me,” Collins said. “I’m super grateful and I can’t wait to give Bills Mafia everything I have left in me. I’m ready to play ball. I’m ready to dominate.”

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