Oh, you thought training camp was going to be the main storyline in Dallas this summer? Unfortunately, football is never the main thing with the Dallas Cowboys. That culminated in one fell swoop on Friday when Micah Parsons requested a trade amid frustration over his contract.
The Cowboys have opted not to respond to the request, while Parsons himself has no plans to leave training camp so he is not subjected to fines. Parsons has the Joneses in a blender, and he will certainly take them to the cleaners if this saga ends with him getting a new deal.
In the meantime, Dallas is handling other pieces of business as they have signed former offensive lineman La'el Collins following a successful workout on Friday, per Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Cowboys reportedly sign La'el Collins amid Micah Parsons' trade request
Dak Prescott was pleased to hear the Cowboys brought in Collins for a workout. Prescott told the media on Thursday that Collins is "in the best shape of his life" and that "hopefully he kills his workout."
It doesn't appear that Prescott exaggerated about Collins' shape, as he reportedly dropped 25 pounds this offseason.
Prescott and Collins became close during the latter's first stint with the franchise. The Cowboys signed Collins as an undrafted free agent in 2015 and drafted Prescott a year later. Collins started 71 games over six seasons with Dallas before he was released following the 2021 season.
This is technically Collins' third stint with the franchise. He was brought back to the practice squad right before the 2024 playoffs, but he didn't see the field. He latched on with the Bills last April, but he was released before the 53-man deadline and wound up sitting out the entire 2024 season.
The Cowboys have been losing OL left and right in camp. Starting left tackle Tyler Guyton is out 4-6 weeks with a knee fracture, while guard Rob Joes is out 2-3 months with a neck injury. On top of that, free agent signee Hakeem Adeniji is out with a concussion and former draft pick Matt Waletzko is nursing an ankle injury.
Collins will certainly help them overcome that, but there are much bigger fish to fry right now.