4 OL the Giants should still bring in after signing Justin Pugh
By Zak Musso
2. OT La'El Collins
Of the available offensive linemen, La'El Collins is the best. Collins has been an excellent offensive tackle throughout his career and is healthy and ready to go despite tearing his ACL in December of 2022.
Former #Bengals OT La’el Collins got medical clearance from his ACL and MCL surgery two weeks ago and has been putting work in.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) October 5, 2023
He’s gauging interest from several teams and is likely to take free agent visits in the near future.
Rare to add this caliber of an offensive… pic.twitter.com/32E0ZneyEi
The ex-LSU Tiger is well known by the Giants faithful from his time in Dallas. He played with Dallas from 2015 to 2021 after signing as an undrafted free agent and then he played with Cincinnati in 2022, where he had a rough season before getting hurt.
His 2021 numbers, however, were elite. Collins allowed just two sacks in 671 offensive snaps. Collins sat out the 2020 season, but in 2019, he was PFF's ninth-highest-graded offensive lineman. One of the most important things about Collins: he is hungry and motivated. Cincinnati decided to release him in September, which should put a massive chip on his shoulder. After all, Collins could be playing for a new contract next summer.
Collins has played tackle in recent seasons, but played guard in the first two seasons of his career, which gives New York much-needed versatility. Collins' ability to play four positions on the o-line and play them well would be critical for a New York team that has seen an insane amount of struggles and injuries across the entire line.