The Chicago Bears have claimed former Las Vegas Raiders first-round offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood, who lasted just one year in Las Vegas before becoming one of the surprising cuts of roster cutdown day.
Chicago will also take on his contract with the Raiders. Leatherwood has three years left on his rookie deal and is owed $5.9 million guaranteed.
The Bears showed interest in Leatherwood during the 2021 NFL draft, but they wound trading up for quarterback Justin Fields. In that same draft, Chicago also traded up to select offensive lineman Teven Jenkins.
Leatherwood started all 17 games in his rookie season, where he played both right tackle and right guard. His addition provides some depth along the offensive line as the Bears will look to develop him behind offensive line coach Chris Morgan.
Here’s what Raiders Wire’s Marcus Mosher said about Leatherwood:
There was some talk over the last few weeks that the Raiders might consider trading Alex Leatherwood, but a straight-out release was still a surprise. Leatherwood started all 17 games for the Raiders last season, playing both right guard and right tackle. His confidence was clearly shaken after working with the second and third team for most of camp and it transferred over to the preseason games.
With Chicago sitting at seventh in the waiver order, they were in a good position to make some claims. And they certainly did as they claimed five additional players other than Leatherwood.
After setting their initial roster, the Bears will have several moves to make following the additions of six new players.
