The Dallas Cowboys have been besieged by injuries over the first two-plus weeks of training camp.
Speaking strictly in terms of the offensive line, starting left tackle Tyler Guyton (knee) and guard Rob Jones (neck), who had rotated with the starters at right guard, will miss 4-6 weeks and 2-3 months, respectively. The team also waived/injured former fifth-round pick Matt Waletzko and free agent signee Hakeem Adeniji sat out a few days with a concussion.
That prompted Dallas to bring back La'el Collins following a successful workout. It remains to be seen if Collins will make the 53-man roster, but he showed up to Oxnard in jaw-dropping shape. So much so that he looks unrecognizable from his first and second stints with the team.
Cowboys OT La'el Collins showed up to camp looking like a different player
Like we said: Totally unrecognizable.
Collins told the media that he is currently 300 pounds. It's the lowest he has weighed since high school. He is listed at 315 pounds on Pro Football Reference and 314 pounds on Pro Football Focus. While it is unclear when (or if) those figures have been updated throughout Collins' playing career, he does not look like a player who shed 15 pounds overnight.
"This is probably the best I've felt in a long time," Collins said. "When I left, I was okay going into that first year in Cincinnati. I had a lot of adversity, just with my body and stuff, so now, my body is fresh. I haven't played ball in terms of a lot in a while, so feel good and just going to continue to be proactive and continue to trust the process."
It's hard not to smile while reading that.
Collins has been through a lot of adversity since he was released by the Cowboys after the 2021 season. He started 15 games for the Bengals in 2022, but suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee that December.
Collins landed on the physically unable to perform list in 2023 and was released by Cincinnati that September in a cap-saving move. He rejoined Dallas later that season ahead of the playoffs but never saw the field. In April 2024, he signed with the Bills, only to be released during final cuts.
You have to admire Collins' perseverance to get back on the field. The last time he appeared in a regular-season game was when he tore his ACL with the Bengals in 2022.
His camp and preseason performance will ultimately decide if he can reverse that trend, but arriving in peak shape and brimming with confidence is a strong way to start.
