The Miami Dauphins are interested in La'el Collins as a free agent following the NFL draft and the team is using his LSU teammate Jarvis Landry to help recruit him and this comes as the Buffalo Bills are also interested and after the team took DeVante Parker and Jay Ajayi in the draft to add weapons for Ryan Tannehill, who is expected to get a contract extension soon.
The Dolphins are one of the teams looking to sign La'el Collins following the NFL draft, as he is now a free agent after not being taken over the weekend. According to Pro Football Talk, Collins slipped out of the draft after being a projected first round pick, as he needed to be questioned by Baton Rouge police in relation to a murder. The report says that Collins has met with police and that he is not a suspect in the crime, which involved a former girlfriend of his.
Collins has not yet been officially cleared, but the fact that he is not a suspect is a good sign and now teams are starting to talk to him. According to NFL.com, the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins both have made contact with Collins and the Dolphins are trying to use some of his former teammates to help woo him, including wideout Jarvis Landry. The Dolphins have a need on the offensive line and they likely see Collins as a value signing, as he was considered to be a first round talent coming into the draft.
According to NFL.com, Rex Ryan met with Collins and the Bills could end up as a potential landing spot. The Bills did not have a first round pick after trading for Sammy Watkins last season and this could be a way for Ryan to make up for not having that first pick. Collins did not meet with any Dolphins employees, according to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport.
The Dolphins have already added some new weapons on offense for Tannehill, as both DeVante Parke and Jay Ajayi now come in and could be contributors right away. The Dolphins have Jarvis Landry and Kenny Stills as well as Greg Jennings and now Parker can add another explosive option to the offense. Ajayi could be used even more, as he is a dual threat back who can catch the ball out of the backfield and he could fit well behind Lamar Miller.
According to Pro Football Talk, based on NFL draft rules, Collins can only meet with teams away from his campus or residence, as LSU has not yet finished the school year and Collins has withdrawn from the school. Rex Ryan met him off-location at a restaurant and the players for the Dolphins are allowed to speak with Collins as well. The deadline for that would be May 9, which is when the finals at LSU last until.
Tannehill is in line to get a contract extension and while he had his fifth year option picked up, the Miami Herald reports a deal is in the works. According to the report, the team is looking to sign Tannehill to a contract worth around $100 million over seven years and that could get done this summer.