Bengals make surprising release

The Bengals decided to release one of their recently paid veterans on Tuesday. Although it was a somewhat surprising move, there may be a reason why, given the player's history.

Cincinnati released offensive tackle La'el Collins, who signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the team last offseason, from the physically unable to perform list, making him a free agent.

It's quite the quick turnaround after believing he would be a pillar on the offensive line for the foreseeable future. "Your new bodyguard's in town, nobody's touching you," Collins said after signing his deal.

Collins tore his ACL and MCL late last season but told reporters there's "no doubt about it" he's ahead of schedule from recovery in April. The 30-year-old added that he feels healthier this year as well after battling back from injury last year.

However, the Bengals might think otherwise given their decision to part ways with him. Only time will tell how healthy Collins is and if another team will give him a shot to play in 2023, but his injury history may not be the only reason for his release.

Cincinnati just made QB Joe Burrow the highest-paid player in NFL history with a five-year, $275 million deal, certainly making things a little more tight financially.

The Bengals also signed left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. this offseason, which resulted in the team pushing offensive tackle Jonah Williams to the right side in Collins' absence.

There was a point this offseason when there were a lot of question marks surrounding Cincinnati's offensive line. That no longer seems to be the case.

If Cincinnati is comfortable with its offensive line depth, moving on from Collins, who may be still battling back from his injury, makes a lot of sense.