Chicago Bears Claim Former Raiders Offensive Lineman

It's not every day a first-round pick from the previous year's draft comes available on the waiver wire. The Chicago bears were awarded former Las Vegas Raiders offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood today, ESPN Insider Field Yates reports:

The Bears have claimed former Raiders OL Alex Leatherwood.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) August 31, 2022

Last year's 17th overall pick, Leatherwood was waived by the Raiders after a rookie season that saw him struggle inside at right guard and a regime change that left him without the coach and general manager that drafted him. Still only 23 years old, the Bears must hope a move back outside to the more familiar tackle position can help him get back on track. Chicago needs all the help it can get: Pro Football Focus graded them as having the league's 31st-ranked offensive line entering the season.

A highly regarded offensive tackle out of Alabama, Leatherwood graded poorly last year, but a team giving up on such a high draft pick this quickly is nearly unprecedented. It wasn't that long ago that Leatherwood was starting for the undefeated 2020 NCAA Champion Crimson Tide, paving the way for running back Najee Harris and pass blocking for quarterback Mac Jones.

With no meaningful new injury history since being drafted and eye-popping pro day numbers indicating elite athleticism, there's still plenty of reason to hope Leatherwood can rediscover the game that once made him such a tantalizing prospect.