La’el Collins Signing With the Cowboys

As if the Dallas Cowboys didn’t already have enough talent on their offensive line, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys managed to sign former LSU OT La’el Collins. Collins was recently questioned about the death of his pregnant ex-girlfriend, causing him to not be selected during the course of the 2015 NFL Draft.

The scandal of the untimely death of Collins’ex-girlfriend had a huge impact on his draft stock, going from a top fifteen pick, to not drafted whatsoever.

Jerry Jones has been no stranger to signing high risk players throughout the off-season, as he recently drafted OLB Randy Gregory, as well as signing DE Greg Hardy. The Cowboys as an organization have a generally solid reputation as a team that can take troubled athletes and turn them into great players, on and off the field.

The Cowboys dominant offensive line was referred to as “The Great Wall of Dallas”, and with the signing of Collins, could either hurt or help their biggest strength. There has been speculation that Dallas would be forced to slide Collins in the right tackle or left guard position, depending on the route the Cowboys plan to take.

The pick overall secures the offensive line in the long run, proving the Cowboys could become a team containing one of the best offensive lines in recent NFL years, allowing running backs Darren McFadden, Lance Dunbar, and Joseph Randle to find big running gaps within the defense.

With all of the off-season risks that the Cowboys have committed, it will become interesting to see if their strategy pays off.