The Lake Forest-Bears were the only NFL team to file a waiver claim for offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood after his release from the Las Vegas Raiders.
The 17th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, he struggled with a light tackle during his rookie season before Silver and Black moved him to the inside for guard. He was doing well on the interior, but with a new administration coming this offseason, after a subpar preseason when head coach Josh McDaniels asked him to work on his fundamentals and technique. Leatherwood was let go.
The addition of Leatherwood makes a lot of sense for a Bears team looking for as much talent as they can find.
Leatherwood is a physical specimen with a high soccer IQ and the ability to play indoors and outdoors. Leatherwood worked at right tackle in Thursday’s first practice with the Bears, but Bears general manager Ryan Pauls said Leatherwood likes playing multiple positions.
Like when the Bears acquired Enkir Harry, Pauls hopes his coaching staff, led by offensive line coach Chris Morgan, will help Leatherwood hone his edges and reach the potential he showed in Alabama. I hope that I can
Pauls said of Leatherwood on Thursday, “I think it’s a big thing to have a talented player, certainly a physically gifted player, back.” In terms of the success of , I think we all believe in player development here, and we put the pieces in place so that players can be the best they can be. We’re going to approach it in a positive way and we’re going to give him the opportunity to grow.Forget about draft picks.It’s over.
“So let’s start on the ground floor. Let’s build you up and take your time. Whatever it is, we want to put him in the best position to succeed.” Chris Morgan and his staff, and from the weight room, we’re going to give it everything we’ve got.”
Leatherwood was treated badly in Las Vegas.
Entering the draft, Leatherwood was widely seen as a second-round talent who would have to shift to guard to make it in the NFL. But Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock have made a habit of reaching out when needed in the first round, especially with players in the Blue Bloods program, and they’ve done the same at Leatherwood. I did
The Raiders surprised everyone when they drafted Leatherwood midway through the first round.
Slot selection aside, the Raiders in 2021 were in turmoil. Leatherwood was quickly thrown into the fire with a right tackle and asked to produce when he should have been given time to sit and grow. Leatherwood instead put together a string of poor performances on the right tackle before moving on the inside.
With Gruden fired mid-season and Mayoc subsequently fired, Leatherwood found himself in a precarious position with a new coach and general manager coming in and being labeled a first-round “bust.” I got
McDaniels and General Manager Dave Ziegler saw everything they needed in the offseason programs and training camps and moved on from Leatherwood on cutdown day.
The Bears caught Leatherwood and he arrived around midnight Thursday morning. He took a body and was on the field with his new teammates by noon.
“It was exciting,” said Leatherwood. “I am really looking forward to the future just by having new opportunities and coming to a new city.”
At least in the beginning, it makes sense that Leatherwood works on light tackle. Riley Rafe was a reserve left tackle, but the second-string right tackle spot has been open since Teben Jenkins moved to right guard. Useful for giving depth options.
Joining in with limited time to learn the Bears’ system doesn’t bother Leatherwood, who is confident he can make an impact with his wide-zone offense.
“It feels like a good fit,” said Leatherwood. “I’m strong and fast.
Leatherwood said he would not put out a timeline as to when he would be up to speed and ready to contribute.
That’s good. The Bears can afford to wait patiently as Morgan builds Leatherwood into the best version of himself, with Jenkins grabbing his spot as a proper guard and Larry his Borom looks to be up to the task of proper tackling. there is.
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