Anthony Collins Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz, Speculation on Buccaneers OT
A year ago, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Anthony Collins to serve as the foundation of their offensive line. One disappointing season later, and it appears they're ready to move on. After reports surfaced they were planning to trade or release Collins, the Bucs cut Collins on Tuesday.
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Bucs Cut Collins
Tuesday, March 10
On March 2, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Tampa Bay would release Collins if it was unable to find a trade partner:
Collins, 29, was scheduled to count $6 million against the cap in 2014, per Spotrac. The Buccaneers will have to pay a $3 million surcharge in dead money for releasing him outright.
Collins signed with the Buccaneers last offseason after spending his first six years in Cincinnati. One of the league's best and most versatile backup tackles with the Bengals, Tampa Bay signed Collins with the hope he could shore up its blind side.
Things did not go as expected. Collins committed nine penalties—surpassing his previous career total (seven)—and he allowed a career-worst four sacks, per The Washington Post. Pro Football Focus' pass-blocking metric ranked Collins 39th among the 54 qualifying offensive tackles last season. His overall grade was by far the worst of his career.
It will be interesting to see what type of market develops. Collins is heading into his age-30 season and is coming off of the worst 10-game stretch of his career.
He also has very little wear-and-tear on his body for someone his age and might have been playing out of position in 2014. The best stretches of Collins' career have typically come when he's playing right tackle, where his run-blocking prowess can be highlighted.
At his 2013 production level, $6 million would be a bargain. Without that level of play, though, the Buccaneers are cutting their losses and moving in a new direction.
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