DALLAS — The offseason keeps rolling along for the Dallas Cowboys as another high-profile player was handed their walking papers. The Cowboys began a busy weekend by releasing right tackle La’el Collins while designating him as a June 1 cap casualty, which means the team saves $10 million against the salary cap, beginning on that date.
In a league that is short on quality offensive linemen, the motive to rid themselves of Collins always felt suspect. Being unable to find another team willing to send them a draft pick for Collins’ services is also puzzling.
But, in the end, after not finding a trade to their liking, the team showed Collins the door and will move on.
Despite an inefficient end to his time on the roster, there are reasons why the organization was ready for life after Collins.
After signing the former LSU standout as an undrafted free agent in 2015, the Cowboys used him at left guard before moving him to tackle. Collins played well enough to earn himself a five-year, $50 million deal with $35 million guaranteed before the start of the 2019 season.
Collins’ play gave the Cowboys one of the best set of bookend tackles in the league, with Tyron Smith at left tackle.
However, before the 2020 season, things began to deteriorate. Collins arrived at training camp out of shape, which contributed to a hip injury that caused the veteran tackle to miss the entire season.
Then, just after the 2021 campaign kicked off, Collins was suspended for five games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. His appeal to the suspension also revealed that Collins had tried to bribe a league office tester.
That seemed like the final straw for the team, who didn’t reinsert Collins back into the starting lineup upon his return from suspension. The trust appeared to evaporate and thus Dallas was comfortable moving on from a lineman that started 71 games for the Cowboys over the last seven seasons.
It didn’t take long for Collins to land on his feet. The AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals came calling and scooped up the talented lineman on a three-year deal.
As for the Cowboys, the plan at right tackle, as of now, is to start third-year pro Terence Steele, who has played well enough over his first two years to win the job. There is still time in free agency to sign another option or to draft Colins’ replacement, but Steele is the frontrunner in March.
With Steele in the mix, count Collins as another highly paid player who the Cowboys recently gave a long-term extension to that has now been jettisoned this offseason, joining wide receiver Amari Cooper. Dallas began the process of adding to their wide receiver room by signing former Pittsburgh Steelers wideout James Washington to a one-year deal on Sunday.
Meanwhile, as the Cowboys were releasing Collins on offense, the defense was trying to re-tool after missing out on Randy Gregory. With Gregory out, and the team unable to recruit another star pass rusher, Dallas turned to Plan C by re-signing defensive end Dorance Armstrong to a two-year deal worth $13 million.
Armstrong isn’t as good as Gregory, but he’s an ascending player who just had his best season where he finished with a career-high five sacks and 20 pressures in 2021. The Cowboys drafted Armstrong in the fourth round in 2018, and he will be just 25-years old when the season starts.
Signing Armstrong wasn’t the only move that the Cowboys made to restock their improving defense under coordinator Dan Quinn. The former coach of the Atlanta Falcons welcomed an old face to a new place as Dallas signed pass rusher Dante Fowler, Jr. to a one-year deal.
Fowler had 11.5 sacks as recently as two seasons ago and brings 35 career sacks with him to Dallas after playing for Quinn in Atlanta in 2020 following stops in Jacksonville and Los Angeles.
The team also brought back safety Malik Hooker on a two-year deal worth up to $8 million. Hooker, who was coming off a season-ending Achilles injury in 2020, signed late during training camp with the Cowboys. After a slow start, his play got better as the year went on.
After getting acclimated in Dallas, Hooker had one of his best seasons in his first year with the Cowboys and the team is hoping to cash in on his potential to be one of the NFL’s top safeties. As the 17th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Ohio State, Hooker has the pedigree to be a difference-maker at a position where the Cowboys haven’t had an elite player in a long time.
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