Patriots Interested In Recently Released $21 Million OL

The New England Patriots may need a backup plan for their offensive line and they may have their eyes set on an OL. Recently released tackle La’el Collins makes perfect sense for the Patriots. The Bengals released the talented player nine months after undergoing a surgery. He is recovering from a torn ACL and MCL.

“According to a league source, the Patriots have shown interest in Collins,” Mark Daniels from MassLive explained. “However, at this time, the team’s level of interest is considered due diligence, according to a second source.”

Reilly Reiff is on the physically unable to perform list and won’t join his team in the first few games of the season. In other words, the Patriots need someone to step in as a right tackle starter. They have David Andrews ready to take up any challenge and Trent Brown goes at left tackle. What about the rest of the offensive line? It is a bit tricky, but head coach Bill Belichick seems to have a plan. What does this plan include? Nobody knows.

Pro Football Focus ranked the Patriots OL as the fifth-worse in Week 1. Yes, they really have to improve this aspect of their game.

Patriots have to upgrade their OL

If the Patriots plan to use Collins at this position, they will have to wait for him to get back to 100%. He won’t be able to take action immediately and may require extra time to recover. The talented player has played 89 games so far and started 86 of them.

As a Bengals player, Collins started 15 games. He sustained an injury in the game against the Patriots last December.

Phil Perry discussed Collins’ signing with the team and the role he will probably get.

“It would, in my opinion,” Perry wrote on NBC Sports Boston. “They’re desperate at that position, as their two late-summer acquisitions just before the start of the season would indicate. Not only because they have very little behind Calvin Anderson and Trent Brown, but because even the starting duo is no sure thing.”