Alex Leatherwood Revealed Why Bears Limited His Snaps Vs. Packers

The Chicago Bears claimed Alex Leatherwood off waivers in the summer after the Las Vegas Raiders surprisingly cut the former 1st round pick. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus felt the former Alabama offensive lineman was too talented to pass up. They had the money to handle his contract. The 23-year-old was worth exploring. He has since spent the last few months getting acclimated to the Bears’ offense. Playing time was hard to come by, though. Braxton Jones locked down the left tackle spot, while Larry Borom and Riley Reiff handled right tackle.

However, as the Bears fell to 3-9, many felt the timing was right for the team to give Leatherwood a look. They weren’t going to the playoffs this year. It was time to see what they had to work with. Their wish was granted—sort of. Leatherwood ended up playing in a rotation with Reiff for most of the game. It was a perplexing move to some. Why rotate the guy when every snap mattered to his development? It turns out there was a good reason for it. Leatherwood had lost 25 lbs during his bout with mononucleosis earlier in the season. His conditioning hasn’t been where it was prior to contracting the illness.

So the Bears found a way to get him some work without completely wearing him out.

“Just trying to get my wind back. It kind of affects the whole health or whatever but that month of being off and trying to get back into playing shape, I feel like that was the hardest part. I feel like I’m good. I could definitely be better but it’s a process every day. It won’t happen overnight.”

Alex Leatherwood didn’t look bad in his first game.

He was involved in two of the biggest plays of the games. One was Justin Fields‘ 56-yard bomb to Equanimeous St. Brown, where the tackle was left on an island. Then he held up long enough to give Fields time to scramble out before finding N’Keal Harry for another 49-yard strike. He also did some nice blocking in the run game whenever the Bears went in his direction. It was something to build off of. The big question is whether they will keep this rotation to ease him in or eventually start him.

One has to imagine they give him a full game at some point. They must know if he can become their long-term option at right tackle. If the answer is yes, then their off-season priorities will likely change. It would allow them to focus more on other positions like center and wide receiver. It would be a major test with Philadelphia, Buffalo, Detroit, and Minnesota all boasting strong defensive lines. Whatever ends up happening, this was a good way for the Bears to rebuild the confidence of Alex Leatherwood.