The Chicago Bears have questions to answer before their second matchup with the Green Bay Packers. One of them is figuring out what to do on the offensive line. The unit suffered some injuries in the loss to the New York Jets. Riley Reiff, who’d taken over the starting job in recent weeks, left the game early with a shoulder issue. Larry Borom stepped in for him but soon suffered an ankle injury of his own. Now the status of both players is in doubt for Sunday. That leaves head coach Matt Eberflus with a decision to make. This might be the time to give Alex Leatherwood his shot.
There are some options to consider. One would be shifting Teven Jenkins outside to right tackle, the position he played in college. Michael Schofield could then take over at right guard. However, Jenkins is at his most effective at guard. Moving him would be counterproductive. That is why Leatherwood is the path of least resistance. He has plenty of experience playing right tackle both in college and his rookie year for the Raiders. Chicago claimed the former 1st rounder off waivers in the spring. They felt his talent was worth it. He’s had months to get acquainted with the blocking scheme and the offensive system. Eberflus confirmed Leatherwood is definitely in play for the game.
The Alex Leatherwood debut will depend on practice.
One thing about him is he can always be counted on as a run blocker. His size, power, and length made him a constant asset since his days at Alabama. His glaring issue that got him kicked out of Las Vegas so quickly was his pass protection. It was ugly last year, surrendering almost 70 pressures. The Raiders felt he was a lost cause. Eberflus and GM Ryan Poles felt otherwise. This is the perfect time to find out where the young blocker is at. It would be at home without any issues of crowd noise. The Bears are likely to run the ball often too.
Regardless of the final score, it could be a great way to get Alex Leatherwood some confidence. It might also give the team an idea of what they’re working with. This would be his first official game action since last year. If he does well, the team may have something to be excited about going into 2023. Leatherwood is only 23 years old. He still might have a bright future ahead of him. The talent was never a question. It’s whether he could overcome his issues with technique.
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I’m confused. The video says he’s GREAT at pass blocking. Then this article says he can always be counted on in the run game? did Vegas’ coaches caught him to lose his technique? Play him on the WRONG side? do a job for 90% of you career, then get hired…and told to do a different jobs in a more critical and unforgiving environment… then get fired for sucking at the NEW job. Hum??? seems a little unfair and stupid on the ‘hiring company’s part. hope we are the ‘new bosses’ and we play him where he’s best suited. (unlikely since… Read more »
I hope he works out, for Jenkins sake. Poor Jenkins has been playing between 2 weak links all year. Imagine what we could be seeing if we actually had a good tandem on the right side and a good tandem on the left.
Do the words that Matt Eberflus used to describe Alex Leatherwood’s progress with the Bears inspire confidence? Really?
Hopefully, we’ll get a chance to see if Ryan Poles fascination with length trumps: agility, dedication.and effort.
Good luck, Alex.(at least your Bears paydays are guaranteed).
I’ve been waiting for this since he was picked up. If the evaluation is true then technique is a teachable skillset. That’s what Braxton Jones is doing now at LT. Even Jones’ weakness, the bull rush, is part technique, part lower body strength. So let’s see what Leatherwood has at RT. We’ll know pretty quickly if it really is technique or if the game is simply too fast for him. It will also show us how good the coaches are at teaching. I’ve always believed proper coaching is as important as the players potential. Are the coaches able to enhance… Read more »
Got anything else to lose? Jenkins needs to stay at RG. Whitehair needs to stay at LG. Soooo….