From Thursday April 30th through Saturday May 2nd, La’el Collins was a persona no grata. Once thought of as a sure-fire first round pick, Collins was sought by the Baton Rogue police for questioning in a murder investigation. It was said he was not a suspect but his stock plummeted as no one wanted to take a chance with him and the NFL denied him the chance to switch to the supplemental draft.
Just one week later, Collins was the most sought after undrafted free agent in the history of the league. Rex Ryan was wining and dining him. Carolina and Miami were also said to be wooing Collins but on Thursday May 7th, he signed with the Cowboys.
It has been quite an interesting off-season for the Cowboys as they see to be collecting a cast of talented players that have more than their share of off-the-field issues.
In early March, the Cowboys placed their franchise tag on Dez Bryant despite heavy rumors of the existence of a “tape” with some incriminating evidence of Bryant. To this date, the tape has not shown up and rumors of it have slowed.
In mid March, the Cowboys backed up a truck full of money to Greg Hardy. Hardy was subsequently suspended by the league for ten games.
During the draft, the Cowboys went after Randy Gregory. Gregory was rumored to be a top ten pick but a failed drug test and rumors of more off-the-field issues saw him drop like a rock. The Cowboys picked up Gregory cheap at the end of the second round.
At 35, Tony Romo’s window is closing. Dallas made it to the second round of the NFL Playoffs last season and only lost by five points to Green Bay amid controversy.
The Cowboys clearly feel that their time is now and these off-season moves exemplify Dallas’s commitment to win this year by any means necessary. Will their appetite for risks this off-season bring them a championship or will it once again leave them on the outside looking in as someone else hoists the Lombardi Trophy? One thing is for sure, the Cowboys are pulling out all the stops.
