The Dolphins can’t wait for La’el Collins to be released from the Cowboys
By Juan Vasquez
The Miami Dolphins need to call the Dallas Cowboys and offer a trade for La’el Collins right now, waiting until he’s released might be too late.
The most important position in any offensive line is protecting the QB’s blindside, for the last 2 seasons Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa has had one of the worst blind-side tackles in football with Jesse Davis. Dallas Cowboys RT La’el Collins is the perfect upgrade.
Jesse Davis is responsible for Tagovailoa’s rib injury vs the Bills which kept him out for weeks, and also responsible for countless times Tagovailoa was left laying on the floor.
Mainly due to Davis’ incompetence at the RT position. Jesse Davis is a safety hazard at best and responsible for crimes against humanity at worst.
Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel stated that he wants to build around young QB Tua Tagovailoa, but if Miami wants to do it right they have to make sure they surround him with premier talent. It starts at the RT position.
But why trade for Collins if he’s set to be released?
If you read my Amari Cooper article from Saturday you’d understand, on Friday I got a bad feeling about teams jumping the gun for Cooper so I decided to write about how Miami should get ahead. And as soon as I published… the Browns traded for him.
This should be a lesson, a lesson that teaches us that good things come to those who go out and get them. Not to those who sit and wait.
Miami Dolphins GM Chris Grier and HC Mike McDaniel stated that they wanted to make a big splash during free-agency, contenders are making moves before FA really begins. If the Dolphins want to be contenders then they should follow suit.
There are at least six teams that have shown interest in #Cowboys right tackle La’El Collins. Whether any are motivated to trade for him before he’s released is yet to be determined.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) March 13, 2022
The Dolphins had interest in Amari Cooper and got burned by patience, if they learned anything from it; they wouldn’t let themselves get burned again.
How does La’el Collins fit in the Dolphins offense?
La’el Collins is the perfect fit for Mike McDaniel’s system, at 6’4″ 320 Collins is an elite run blocker who can bulldoze through a defense, and has the athleticism to hit key spots when moving in space. He is also an elite pass blocker, between 2019 and 2021 La’el Collins only gave up 4 sacks in over 1,100 pass-blocking snaps according to PFN.
Collins gave up 2 sacks and had a PFF grade of 82.0 in 2021, grading him amongst the elite tackles in the NFL.
For comparison, Jesse Davis had 8 sacks and had a PFF grade of 52.5, grading him as the worst right tackle in football.
Talk about an upgrade.
Contract:
If a team traded for Cowboys RT La'el Collins, it would owe him a salary of $10M for each of the next three seasons. No other bonuses, incentives, etc.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 12, 2022
He's 28, has a ton of experience, is a solid pass protector and plays with some nasty.
A perfectly reasonable deal to take on.
Not perfectly reasonable Yates, an absolute steal! Terron Armstead who has never completed an NFL season in his entire career due to injury wants north of $20 Million per year! (according to PFN.)
Injury concern:
La’el Collins had some minor off-the-field issues that kept him sidelined for 5 games in 2021, that type of issue shouldn’t repeat itself. Injury concern was serious after 2020 when he had a hip injury but Collins bounced back strong in 2021.
Conclusion:
The Dolphins can’t keep on waiting, call the Dallas Cowboys and offer them a trade right now.
