BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills are reportedly bringing in another free agent to add depth along the offensive line.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bills are signing former Bengals offensive tackle La'el Collins on a one-year deal.
Collins has made 86 starts over his seven seasons in the NFL, spending his first six years in Dallas before playing in 15 games last season for the Cincinnati Bengals.
The LSU product is Buffalo's second free-agent addition along the offensive line this offseason, after the Bills added former Chargers interior offensive lineman Will Clapp on a one-year deal.
The one-year contract for Collins is worth up to $6.25 million, per Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report.
Collins adds to Buffalo's tackle depth, which includes starters Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown, along with backups Alec Anderson, Tommy Doyle, and Ryan Van Demark.
Collins is attempting a return to the NFL after missing all of last season because of a knee injury sustained while playing for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022. He closed last season on the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad in returning to the team where he spent his first seven NFL seasons.
ESPN.com first reported Collins agreement with Buffalo.
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, Collins has the potential of providing the Bills experienced depth behind returning starters Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown. He also has experience playing left guard during his rookie season, and has 86 starts in 89 career games.
Collins has overcome injuries and off-field issues since breaking into the NFL with Dallas in 2015 as an undrafted free agent out of LSU. He was initially regarded as a top prospect before his draft stock dropped due to an investigation into the murder of Collins’ ex-girlfriend, in which police said he was not a suspect in the shooting.
He missed the 2020 season because of hip surgery.
The following year, he served a five-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. Collins sued the league with two games remaining on the suspension, and court documents in the lawsuit revealed that the NFL accused him of bribing a drug-testing official. Collins’ agent strongly denied the allegations.