After a woeful Raiders tenure, Alex Leatherwood may have a second likelihood through the NFL’s waiver system. The Bears put in a declare for the previous first-round choose, Area Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
The Raiders bailed on Leatherwood after one season, marking a stunning free fall for final 12 months’s No. 17 general choose. The Bears, nevertheless, have additionally run into intensive O-line uncertainty. The rebuilding group will take an opportunity on the previous Alabama prospect. Leatherwood’s signing bonus is the Raiders’ duty, leaving appreciable lifeless cash on Las Vegas’ cap sheet, however the Bears are actually liable for $5.9M in Leatherwood wage.
Chicago, which modified up its roster significantly because it transitioned to a brand new GM-HC pairing this offseason, made 5 extra waiver claims Wednesday. Defensive sort out Armon Watts, defensive again Josh Blackwell, defensive finish Kingsley Johnathan, linebacker Sterling Weatherford and tight finish Trevin Wesco will likely be en path to the Windy Metropolis as properly, Yates tweets. The Bears’ six waiver claims are a league-high whole this 12 months.
This marks fairly a haul for Chicago, which added former starters from Las Vegas and Minnesota. Watts began 9 video games for the Vikings final season, changing the injured Michael Pierce, however the group modified defensive schemes this offseason and made a commerce for former Texans second-round defensive sort out Ross Blacklock on Tuesday. That led Watts off the roster, however he will likely be again in a 4-3 scheme beneath Matt Eberflus, whose group cleared some D-tackle area by releasing Mario Edwards on Tuesday.
Considered as a attain in final 12 months’s first spherical, Leatherwood didn’t justify his draft slot when deployed at proper sort out or proper guard for the Raiders final season. The workers that drafted Leatherwood shortly moved him off proper sort out, however Professional Soccer Focus rated him as one of many league’s worst guards. Regardless of the Raiders dealing with just a few questions on their offensive line and dropping Brandon Parker for the season, their new regime reduce bait after attempting Leatherwood at sort out once more in coaching camp.
The Bears are anticipated to begin fifth-round rookie Braxton Jones at left sort out, and so they have 2021 fifth-rounder Larry Borom on the appropriate facet. Riley Reiff, who signed with the group shortly earlier than camp, can also be within the sort out image. The group moved 2021 second-rounder Teven Jenkins from sort out to protect late this offseason, and whereas Jenkins appeared in commerce rumors, he’s on the roster and should properly begin the season on the new place. Leatherwood, his early-career struggles however, might now even be an element at that spot.
