Bengals Have Gifted Patriots the Perfect Solution to O-Line Issues

By this point, it’s no secret that the Patriots’ offensive line is a hot mess. The team kept 11 offensive linemen on the original 53-man roster, reflecting Bill Belichick’s struggles to evaluate the position. With so many middling and unproven options, it was hard to decide who was worth keeping and who should be jettisoned.

To make matters worse, two of the team’s top linemen — Cole Strange and Mike Onwenu — were unavailable for Week 1 due to injuries, forcing Belichick to start two rookies and making the situation even more complicated. Not surprisingly, New England lost to a superior Eagles team.

With the Patriots preparing for a key divisional game against the Dolphins in Week 2, the Bengals may have just helped solve their O-line problems.

Patriots Pursuing Veteran Tackle

Cincinnati just released veteran tackle La’El Collins on Tuesday, but New England is already showing interest, according to Patriots writer Mark Daniels. Don’t be surprised if New England scoops him up soon to add yet another option to the offensive line.

Collins, 30, opened the season on the PUP list and did not play in the Bengals’ season opener. He tore his ACL and MCL last December after starting 15 games for Cincinnati, posting the best approximate value metric of his career (per Pro Football Reference) before going down.

Before that, he spent six years with the Cowboys, helping anchor one of the best offensive lines in the league during that time.

Collins remains sidelined for now and it’s still unclear when he’ll be able to return to action. Still, the Patriots should consider taking a flyer on him to add some veteran depth to their line, which needs all the help it can get.

If he gets healthy and returns to form, Collins could end up being a steal. That upside alone makes him worth the risk,

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