Dallas Cowboys looking to bolster OT and LB for playoffs. They should look at RB, too

The Dallas Cowboys are one win away from clinching the NFC East title and the No. 2 seed in NFC playoffs

But win or lose against the Washington Commanders in the season final, the Cowboys know they have issues they must address if they hope to reach their main goal of reaching the NFC title game and possibly the Super Bowl for the first time since 1995.

The Cowboys attempted to address one of their primary concerns on Tuesday with a familiar face in offensive tackle La’el Collins, who was with the team from 2015-2021 before signing with the Bengals in free agency.

Collins had a good workout and is looking at signing to the practice squad to improve their offensive line depth heading into the playoffs.

The two sides agreed to terms but the signing has been held up by some contract language stemming from his departure from Cincinnati. The situation may not be finalized until Thursday.

“We can revisit that tomorrow,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “He was in here yesterday for a great workout. Looks great. We’re still working through some things.”

Things didn’t work out well for Collins in Cincinnati. He suffered a knee injury late last season and was released in September.

Collins has been idle since as he was looking for the right opportunity.

He would give the Cowboys a proven upgrade as the third tackle and has guard experience. Collins started 71 of 74 games at left guard and right tackle for the Cowboys from 2015 to 2021.

Left tackle Tyron Smith has missed four games this season, including one of the last two with a back injury.

Counting on him to be healthy for a full playoff run is an iffy proposition. He is an option for left Guard Tyler Smith, who suffered a torn plantar fasciitis against the Detroit Lions.

The Cowboys don’t expect him to miss any time. But the injury is painful and tricky.

“I think it’s more the opportunity and where he is and trying to make sure the veteran experience we have, the things he has to offer,” McCarthy said of the interest in Collins. “He obviously has a great history here, all of those things.”

The Cowboys also worked out linebacker Damien Wilson Tuesday.

Wilson is a familiar face too.

Wilson, a fourth-round pick in 2015, spent his first four seasons with the Cowboys, making 22 starts.

He then played with the Kansas City Chiefs for two seasons before spending 2021 and 2022 with Jacksonville Jaguars and the Carolina Panthers.

They didn’t sign him yet but it’s an admission that the thin and suspect linebacker corps needs addressing.

McCarthy said that situation should get clarified on Thursday as well.

The Cowboys have their eyes wide open about their weaknesses.

They also need to take a long look at the running game.

The Cowboys rank a mediocre 14th in the league on the ground. They can’t run effectively when they want and need to.

It was an issue that that glaringly evident in the 20-19 victory against the Detroit Lions when the couldn’t run the ball and run out the clock in the fourth quarter.

Tony Pollard embodies the Cowboys problems on the ground.

He needs to 65 yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight season.

And while Pollard is averaging a respectable 4 yards per carry in 2023, he has topped 100 yards just once this season.

And the Cowboys continue to struggle in short yardage situations and near the goal line where Pollards inability to score from the 1 and a subsequent fumble by fullback Hunter Luepke in 22-20 loss the Miami Dolphins Dec. 24.

It begs the question of whether the Cowboys should address the running back position heading into the playoffs.

An opportunity arose on Tuesday when Dalvin Cook asked and was granted his release from the New York Jets with the hopes of signing with a playoff team.

Cook only had 214 yards on 67 carries with Jets as he never found traction behind starter Breece Hall.

But the former four-time Pro Bowler is worth looking at by a Cowboys team that has struggled on the ground. McCarthy is certainly familiar with Cook from his days with the Minnesota Vikings when he was coaching the Green Bay Packers.

The Cowboys are doing their homework on Cook.

“Those are really questions you’re always visiting,” McCarthy said of Cooks. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. Played a number of games against Dalvin when he was in Minnesota. Have great respect for him.”