NFL Rumors: 3 teams that should bring La’el Collins in immediately

No. 1 NFL team to sign La'el Collins: Houston Texans

The Houston Texans offensive line is battered and bruised. There isn't a less healthy collection of players in the NFL right now. With three offensive linemen on the IR and five others listed as out for the Texans' Week 4 game against Pittsburgh, there's a desperate need for more bodies in the building.

Enter Collins. The veteran has the talent to step in and potentially start for the upstart Texans. There's a lot to like about Houston's team as a whole, from the burgeoning connection between C.J. Stroud and Tank Dell to the revamped defense under DeMeco Ryans and Matt Burke. A gutsy Week 3 win over Jacksonville was proof that the Texans are closer to contention than we initially thought. It's a work in progress, but far from a hopeless cause.

Stroud looks good enough right now — 906 yards and four TDs with zero interceptions — to warrant extra investment in the offensive line. It has been so dire in Houston that Kendrick Green is starting games. Even with age and injury concerns, it would be difficult for Collins not to help the current group. He can at least keep heads above water until the injury list clears up.

The Texans are probably content with letting 2023 count as a trial run for the team's young core. There's no rush to contend, no foolhardy desire to skip steps. But Ryans is a real head coach and Stroud looks like a very real QB. Perhaps it's time to reward his strong start with another competent body on the O-line. The Steelers are about to feast on Sunday.