The Chicago Bears made seven waiver wire claims this past week, easily the highest they’ve done in ages. Maybe ever. It was a clear statement by GM Ryan Poles that he will not sit on his hands trying to make this roster better. When he senses an opportunity, he’ll pounce on it. There were some exciting pickups in the group. Defensive tackle Armon Watts should immediately boost their interior pass rush. Ihmir Smith-Marsette is another fast receiver with return capability. However, most of the buzz centers on Alex Leatherwood.
That isn’t a surprise. The 17th overall pick from the 2021 draft was supposed to become a fixture for the Las Vegas Raiders. Now, after a rough rookie season (67 pressures allowed), he was cut by the new regime after failing to find a trade partner. Nobody expected a team to claim him on waivers due to his hefty rookie contract. So it was a surprise when the Bears scooped him up. Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus cited his size, power, and athleticism as excellent traits worth exploring.
According to Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus, others around the NFL believe another key reason exists.
“Chicago also has enough question marks on their offensive line that we could wind up seeing Alex Leatherwood receive some playing time this season. Chicago’s scheme is thought to be a better fit for Leatherwood than Las Vegas’, according to people around the league.”
2. Alex Leatherwood
Think about this. The guy coaching him in Vegas was Tom Cable.
Here are the sack totals his units gave up since 2011.
50
33
44
42
46
42
43
52
29
28
40It's possible Leatherwood had the wrong guy overseeing his development. #Bears
— Erik Lambert (@ErikLambert1) September 2, 2022
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Alex Leatherwood checks three crucial boxes.
Luke Getsy’s new wide-zone offense demands intelligent, athletic offensive linemen who can run block well. Those were Leatherwood’s strengths going back to his time at Alabama. This system will allow him to get on the move and use that natural power to drive defenders off the ball. It should instantly make him more comfortable. The tricky part for the Bears is finding a way to fix the flaws that got exposed last season.
It immediately became evident that Alex Leatherwood had serious technical flaws in his pass protection. His hand-fighting is highly inconsistent and made even worse by his bad tendency to lean forward, making it easy for veteran pass rushers to get him off balance. The Raiders didn’t do much to help him last year, constantly leaving him in one-on-one situations more than most tackles in the league.
The big question is where the Bears plan to play him. It looks like they will explore both tackle and guard to see where he fits best. Las Vegas moved him inside last October. After a rough first two months, he did seem to settle down a bit in December outside of one bad game against Denver. Bad starts to a career aren’t uncommon. Given some time, Leatherwood can still become a capable NFL player.
