Report: La'el Collins reveals epic first quote to Joe Burrow

Last season, Joe Burrow carried the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl behind one of the worst offensive lines in NFL history. Not surprisingly, the franchise has made it a focus to upgrade their offensive line during the 2022 offseason. They recently signed La’el Collins in free agency and he had some epic first words for his new star quarterback.

According to Marisa Contipelli–a team reporter for the Cincinnati Bengals, the former LSU Tigers‘ star told Burrow, “Your new bodyguard is in town, no one’s touching you.” That’s one heck of a quote. Landing Collins is massive for the Bengals since they had to beat out the Carolina Panthers and the New England Patriots for his services. Cincinnati still has a little bit of work to be done along the offensive line but acquiring Collins is definitely yet another step in the right direction. The Bengals still need to find a few more pieces for their offensive line, whether it’s in free agency or the upcoming NFL Draft.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Collins planned to leave Cincinnati for another free agent visit after the meeting, but the Bengals did not let him go. The deal marks the third offensive line shift the Bengals have made this offseason in an attempt to protect the future of their franchise.

Burrow survived the Bengals’ front office gamble

When Burrow suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee during the 2020 season, it would have been easy to assume the Bengals were going to draft an offensive lineman at pick No. 5 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. They opted against that and instead drafted the player who re-wrote nearly every NFL rookie receiving record imaginable this year, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.

The gamble on Chase has paid off for the Bengals’ front office and in a big way. The duo of Burrow and Chase are set to become one of the best quarterback-wide receiver duos in league history, as long as their team’s offensive line issues are fixed.

Cincinnati caught a bit of lightning in a bottle with their offensive line playing the way it did and making it all the way to the Super Bowl. That is an extremely rare event. While other teams in the league might try to replicate their build, it’s not advised.

Former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who is now retired due to injuries, is a perfect example of why a team should not throw a star quarterback behind an awful offensive line. Tom Brady is entering his 23rd season in the National Football League. He didn’t last that long by getting sacked 70 times a season, including the playoffs. The fact that Joe Burrow even survived the 2021-2022 season is a medical miracle. The 70 sacks allowed this season by the Bengals’ offensive line were the third most ever in NFL history.

Outside of their offensive line issues, the pass-catching weapons are already in Cincinnati for Burrow to make a run at MVP in the near future. Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd will form one of the best receiving corps in the league. That’s not even mentioning running back Joe Mixon, who had a career-year this season in racking up over 1,500 all-purpose yards and 16 total touchdowns.

On3’s James Fletcher III also contributed to this article.