Sometimes the story topics just write themselves.
This would be one such example — new Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle La’el Collins knew he wanted to sign with the team in free agency after dining on crackers and cupcakes at quarterback Joe Burrow’s house.
While publicly Collins went viral for showing up at a local mall while his agent worked on his deal with the Bengals, it was a casual visit to Burrow’s house with other new teammates like linemen Alex Cappa and Ted Karras and tight end Hayden Hurst that cemented things.
Collins told Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic that he told Bengals brass he didn’t want to go to the typical steak dinner and instead just wanted to get things done and meet his teammates:
“I feel like I was at my little brother’s house when I walked in. Nobody was uptight. Everyone was just cool. Just like the locker room. For me, that was special, man. It was authentic. It was real and it was pure. For me, that was everything in the world.”
While Collins’ agent worked, he got to know his new home, which included meeting people of the city down by the river and beyond:
“I just spent a lot of time seeing the city. Just going by the river. I met some cool people who like to fish, which was cool. They were showing me all the big fish they caught out of the river. Might catch me down there on a Monday or Tuesday with my fishing pole on the water. I spent some time doing that and met the people, man they were just great people. They embraced me. For me, I was just letting everything else control itself while I take my mind off things.”
Collins joins new signees Cappa and Karras as major upgrades to the line in front of Burrow, meaning the team has addressed three of the four spots that needed an upgrade. So far, Bengals coaches have indicated 2021 second-rounder Jackson Carman will get a chance to start in the fourth and final spot.
While the bonding session with Burrow, teammates and the city helped, the fact roughly 10 other teammates called Collins and Joe Mixon lobbied Bengals brass for the move probably didn’t hurt either. The Bengals fended off other big teams in the pursuit, too.
