Position: Offensive tackle Role American football tackle Place of birth: Beaumont, Texas Height 1.96 m | College: Kansas 40 yard dash time 5.54 seconds Name Anthony Collins Weight 143 kg | |
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Date of birth: (1985-11-02) November 2, 1985 (age 30) NFL draft: 2008 / Round: 4 / Pick: 112 Roster status: Unrestricted Free Agent Number 73 (Cincinnati Bengals / Tackle) Parents Rhoda Goodman, Harold Collins Education University of Kansas, East Carolina University | ||
Anthony Collins (born November 2, 1985) is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kansas and was a member of the 2008 Orange Bowl championship team. He has also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Early years
He played high school football at Central High School in Beaumont.
College Career
Collins committed to the University of Kansas out of high school. He redshirted his freshmen year. During the Jayhawks 2007 season, his redshirt junior year, he helped lead the Jayhawks to their first and only BCS Bowl victory in the 2008 Orange Bowl. Collins and teammate Aqib Talib were both named 1st team AP All-Americans that season.
Collins will added to the Ring of Honor during the Jayhawks 2017 season.
Cincinnati Bengals
Collins played for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2008 to 2013, after being drafted in the 4th round with the 112th pick of the 2008 NFL draft. Most of his career was spent as a rotational player at left guard and left tackle. During his 2013 campaign, he had his strongest year, consistently performing well on the Bengals offensive line as a left tackle.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After a strong 2013 campaign with the Bengals, on March 13, 2014, Collins signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to replace Bucs veteran left tackle Donald Penn. Unfortunately, health concerns, multiple penalties and inconsistent play led to Collins being benched in favor of veteran right tackle Demar Dotson. He was considered more of a liability with his penalties and pedestrian play in the pass rush situations.
On March 2, 2015 it was announced that Tampa would try to trade Collins or cut him, confirming that he would not be brought back for the 2015 season. On March 10, 2015, the team cut Collins after failing to trade him before the official start of free agency.
Police investigation
In 2012, Collins was at the residence of then teammate Jerome Simpson when police searched Simpson's home. Both were also questioned by the police. Collins was not arrested for the incident. Collins released the following statement through his attorney Robert Lotz after the investigation began:
"Unfortunately, I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, I do want to take this opportunity to let my fans, friends and family know that I had no part in the reported activities at Jerome’s home. I have done nothing wrong and I have not been charged with doing anything wrong. So far as I know, I am no longer a part of any investigation."
The prosecutor involved in the case said Collins will not face any charges.