Report: Patriots could be landing spot for Cowboys' La'el Collins originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
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The New England Patriots have a lot of work to do on their offensive line.
They lost left guard/center Ted Karras to the Cincinnati Bengals in NFL free agency earlier this week. They traded star right guard Shaq Mason to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday for a 2022 fifth-round pick. Starting right tackle Trent Brown also remains unsigned as an unrestricted free agent. Left tackle Isaiah Wynn is signed for 2022 but has missed a bunch of games due to injury since being drafted in 2018.
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So, the Patriots need to add plenty more depth and talent to this position group.
One potential fit on the offensive line is Dallas Cowboys right tackle La'el Collins.
Could the Patriots be interested in Collins via trade? Here's what Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reported Tuesday afternoon:
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Collins is drawing interest from multiple teams, per CBS Sports' Patrick Walker, who also reported the Patriots could be in the mix as well.
"There are several teams interested in potentially trading for Collins, but nothing is imminent as of yet, although sources tell CBS Sports a frontrunner may have emerged in Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots," Walker wrote in a story published Wednesday morning.
Collins, as Walker also notes, is a versatile player capable of playing a few positions along the offensive line, including guard. And we know Belichick values versatility quite a bit.
Collins wouldn't be a cheap addition as far as the salary cap is concerned. He has a cap hit around $15.25 million for the next two seasons, per Spotrac. His cap hit drops to about $13.45 million in 2024, which is the final year of his contract.
Whether it's Collins or someone else, the Patriots must bolster their offensive line in a significant way before training camp this summer. Protecting franchise quarterback Mac Jones will obviously be supremely important to New England's success next season and beyond, and right now, this group is nowhere near good enough.
