The Dallas Cowboys’ offensive line has seen better days, as the status of both Zack Martin and Tyron Smith is up in the air for the club’s Week 5 showdown with the San Francisco 49ers.

Martin had missed Weeks 2 and 3 with an ankle injury before returning to action for the Cowboys’ blowout win over the New England Patriots on Sunday. However, he suffered another injury in the contest, leaving the game with a bruised quadriceps.

Meanwhile, Smith missed his second straight game due to a knee issue.

While neither player is expected to miss significant time, Dallas is clearly in need of a depth piece to represent a short-term fix, both now and as an insurance policy down the road.

Bleacher Report suggests that the Cowboys go back to an old well and sign La’el Collins, who was released by the Cincinnati Bengals earlier this month.

Collins spent the first seven seasons of his NFL career in Dallas before ultimately signing a three-year deal with the Bengals in March 2022.

However, things did not pan out for Collins in Cincinnati, as he tore his ACL and MCL late last season. He began the 2023 campaign on the PUP list, but was eventually released by Cincy before he got a chance to return. Collins is eligible to hit the field next weekend.

Collins went undrafted out of LSU but caught on as a free agent with the Cowboys in 2015. He began that ensuing season as a reserve for Dallas, but was pressed into starting duty due to injuries along the offensive line. Collins was so impressive that he was named a starter.

While an injury knocked him out of action for most of 2016, Collins became a fixture along the Cowboys’ offensive front.

The Cowboys improved to 3-1 with their win over the Patriots.

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