Joe Burrow recruiting pitch sealed deal for La’el Collins to sign with Bengals
La’el Collins was cut by the Cowboys and has signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. And Joe Burrow was the voice that swayed the tackle’s decision.
The shortcomings of the Dallas Cowboys in the postseason are no secret. For all of the fanfare that “America’s Team” receives, the ship guided by Jerry Jones hasn’t sniffed the Super Bowl since the mid-1990s. Offensive tackle La’el Collins, after being released by Dallas, is now set to make a much more spirited run at the Lombardi Trophy by joining the Cincinnati Bengals.
As first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter and then confirmed by multiple reports, the Bengals have continued to beef up their much-maligned offensive line with the addition of Collins on the free agency market.
Bengals now have added OL La’el Collins, Ted Karras and Alex Cappa during free agency to help protect QB Joe Burrow. https://t.co/gZHx5SotVu
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 20, 2022
Just as Schefter mentioned, the Bengals have now fortified their line in a massive way with Collins joining fellow newcomers Alex Cappa and Ted Karras. However, the fitting component of this is that the man Collins will be tasked with protecting, Joe Burrow, was the one who swayed the tackle to come to the Queen City after a meeting with him, Karras, Cappa and Hayden Hurst.
To punctuate the Bengals' recruiting pitch, Joe Burrow had La'El Collins over to his house on Friday night, along with Ted Karras, Alex Cappa and Hayden Hurst, and their wives/girlfriends, I'm told.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 20, 2022
So Burrow's a pretty good closer on multiple fronts for Cincinnati.
La’el Collins contract: Details of OT signing with Bengals
While the financial details of the Collins signing with the Bengals have not yet been disclosed, Albert Breer reported (and has since been confirmed by others) that the contract will be for three years with Collins and Cincinnati.
Even representing the AFC in the Super Bowl last year, the Bengals offensive line remained extremely worrisome. Burrow was often under a barrage of pressure from opposing defenses and, frankly, the fact that he performed to the level he did and took the team within one score of winning a Lombardi Trophy is a testament to him and the rest of the roster.
With the additions of Collins, Cappa and Karras, though, the task should be much simpler. While no one in that trio is a superstar in their own right, they represent a substantial upgrade from where the Bengals offensive line was a season ago.
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