While it might not have come as a complete shock, the Dallas Cowboys releasing veteran tackle La’el Collins back in March was a strange move. Entering his eighth season in the league, Collins was coming off one of the better years of his career. In 2021, the 28-year-old recorded the highest run-block grade (89.7), and the second-highest offensive grade (80.2) of his career, according to Pro Football Focus.
While it did save some money, letting go of the proven veteran Collins showed the Cowboys have a tremendous amount of faith in third-year tackle Terence Steele.