Washington Redskins expected to pursue Anthony Collins

The Washington Redskins are "expected to pursue" Bengals offensive tackle Anthony Collins, according to Mike Jones with the Washington Post.

The connection?

Redskins head coach Jay Gruden was Cincinnati's offensive coordinator for three seasons with Collins riding the pine, save for infrequent starting promotions when the Bengals suffered an injury on the offensive line.

All five of last year’s starting offensive linemen are under contract, and the Redskins have produced one of the top rushing attacks in each of the past two seasons. But pass protection represents an area of weakness.

"That’s something we’re battling," Gruden said. "Those are good players, but sometimes on third and eight, they get pushed back a little bit."

"You have to get better," the coach added.

Anthony Collins, failing to have anyone bite two years ago as a free agent, returned with a two-year deal and stuck around as a backup tackle behind Andrew Whitworth. Between 2009 and 2010, when Collins started, the Bengals were 7-2 while averaging 110 yards rushing per game. More impressively, according to Pro Football Focus, Collins hasn't allowed a quarterback sack during the regular season since week four in 2009 -- over 713 straight pass blocks without a sack allowed.

So the connection (and reasoning) for Collins in Washington makes sense.