May 07, 2015
The Eagles have enormous concerns both in the short term and long term on their offensive line, and for the second consecutive offseason, they didn't add any talent either in the draft or during free agency. In the aftermath of the draft, the Eagles had a chance to go hard after LSU OG/OT La'el Collins, a player who was overwhelmingly regarded as a first round talent for the price of an undrafted free agent. It did not appear that they showed as much interest as some other teams around the league. Instead, Collins will join the reigning NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Cowboys have signed La'el Collins, according to a source.
— Charean Williams (@NFLCharean) May 7, 2015
Dallas essentially got three first-round talents this draft. They drafted Byron Jones in the first round, and Randy Gregory, a top 10 type of player in his own right, at 60th overall. Now they add Collins for peanuts.
The Eagles have the oldest projected starting offensive line in the NFL, and lack proven depth. Collins could have potentially been an immediate starter at guard, which would have allowed Allen Barbre to move back to his more valuable role as a versatile player who could play four positions along the line in case the Eagles suffered any injuries. In the long term, Collins could have eventually kicked out to right tackle, with Lane Johnson moving over to left tackle whenever Jason Peters can no longer play at a high level.
It's going to be extremely difficult replacing three 30+-year-old starters simultaneously without using up major resources to do so. Signing Collins would have been a great start toward potentially alleviating some of the Eagles' short term and long term concerns. Now they'll have to face him twice per season.
#ButCulture.
Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @JimmyKempski
