Ezekiel Elliott wants former Cowboys teammate on Patriots after surprise release
By Jerry Trotta
Ezekiel Elliott had a debut to forget with the Patriots. While the former Dallas Cowboys star was efficient on the ground, he had a costly fumble that saw New England fall into an insurmountable 16-0 first quarter deficit vs the Eagles.
Still, Week 1 showed Elliott will play a pivotal role on the Patriots. The game script didn't play in his favor, as Mac Jones dropped back to pass 54 times (a career high) and starting RB Rhamondre Stevenson caught all six targets for 64 yards.
Cowboys fans will be watching closely all season to see how Elliott performs, but he may soon be joined by another former Dallas starter.
Former right tackle La'el Collins was just released by the Bengals. With the Patriots in need of offensive line help, Elliott told reporters Thursday that Collins, who's one of his close friends, would be a great get by New England.
Ezekiel Elliott said free agent OT La'el Collins is one of his best friends. They played together in Dallas. Said it "would be great" to have Collins join the Patriots.
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) September 14, 2023
Ezekiel Elliott wants former Cowboys OT La'el Collins on the Patriots
It would be awesome if Elliott linked up with a former Cowboys teammate.
Collins was the Cowboys' right tackle for all of Elliott's prime years and started all 16 games for Elliott's second rushing title in 2018. In total, Elliott and Collins shared a locker room from 2016 to 2021. During that span, Elliott compiled 7,300 rushing yards and 56 touchdowns on nearly 4.5 yards per attempt.
Ironically, Elliott and Collins both experienced a decline around the same time. In 2022, Elliott regressed to a one-dimensional back, while Collins was released from his five-year, $50 million contract after he struggled to stay on the field over his final two seasons in Dallas.
It didn't help Collins that Terence Steele showed potential in his absence and he's since established himself as the team's franchise right tackle.
Still, Collins should land on his feet after his Bengals release. Per reports, as many as 12 (!) teams have showed interest in the 30-year-old. Coming off a torn ACL in December, Collins started the season on the PUP list. As long as he gets a positive review from doctors, he should have a new home before long.
Sources: Free agent OT La’el Collins has received interest from nearly a dozen teams. Collins, who tore his ACL in December, is scheduled to meet on Monday with Dr. Eldridge of UCLA.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) September 14, 2023
Expect things to heat up from there for the former #Cowboys’ and #Bengals’ starter. pic.twitter.com/bDbQ8WtxPp
Mark Daniels of Mass Live reported the Patriots are interested in Collins. That shouldn't come as a surprise, though, as they were in on Collins last offseason before he inked a three-year, $21 million contract with the Bengals.
New England is the most obvious fit given their entire starting offensive line is injured, including tackle Trent Brown, guards Cole Strange, Michael Onwenu, and Sidy Sow and center David Andrews. Only OT Calvin Anderson is healthy, but he missed all of training camp and didn't perform well in the opener.
Maybe Bill Belichick should listen to his new RB.
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