Former Dallas Cowboys lineman La’el Collins agrees to three-year contract with Cincinnati Bengals

CINCINNATI — The text message that flashed across La’el Collins’ phone on Sunday was the question Cincinnati Bengals fans kept asking throughout the weekend. And it was from the most prominent person in the city.

“Deal done?” Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow asked Collins, the inquiry posed with multiple questions marks. Collins had a simple answer.

“I was like, ‘Yeah, your new bodyguard is in town,'” Collins said in a video statement released by the Bengals on Sunday. “Nobody is touching you.”

The Bengals on Sunday signed Collins, a former Dallas Cowboys tackle, to a three-year contract.

Cincinnati, fresh off its first Super Bowl appearance in 33 years, has now added offensive linemen Ted Karras, Alex Cappa and Collins during the NFL free-agency signing period to help protect Burrow, something the Bengals had issues with, especially in the postseason. Cincinnati ranked 30th in pass block win rate last year, according to NFL Next Gen Stats and ESPN Stats & Information research.

In the video statement issued by the team, Collins cited his relationship with Bengals assistant coach Frank Pollack for Cincinnati being a “perfect fit.”

Pollack oversaw the Cowboys offensive line when Collins entered the league in 2015. Pollack met with local media in Cincinnati on Friday, when the offensive lineman was at Paul Brown Stadium during his visit. Pollack said he had a “great relationship” with Collins during their time in Dallas and said he had the disposition the Bengals sought in free agency.

“He definitely fits the mold of a ‘glass eater,'” Pollack said. “Just watch his tape. That’s clearly evident. He is nasty and he was a lot of fun to coach.”

The Cowboys released Collins on March 17 and designated it a post-June 1 move that will save them $10 million on their salary cap. The Cowboys had trade discussions with teams at the NFL scouting combine and had given Collins’ agents, Deryk Gilmore and Peter Schaffer, the ability to seek a trade. The New England Patriots had…