Where will Alex Leatherwood line up for the Chicago Bears?

The Chicago Bears and Ryan Poles are continuing to evaluate the roster and aren’t afraid to make changes. This was evident when Ryan Poles took to the waiver wire and successfully claimed six new players. One of those players was the Raiders’ 2021 NFL Draft pick, Alex Leatherwood. He gets a clean slate here in Chicago.

Alex Leatherwood had a very rough rookie season. He allowed a whopping eight sacks and recorded an astounding 14 penalties. Of those 14 penalties, seven of them were pre-snap penalties. If I’m being truthful, those are the worst kind. Those are more mental mistakes, and those don’t fit with this new disciplined regime. They obviously believe that offensive line coach Chris Morgan is going to push Alex Leatherwood to eliminate those mental mistakes.

Where on the offensive line will Alex Leatherwood fit for the Chicago Bears

The big question as soon as Leatherwood was claimed — where will he fit on this offensive line? Well, in his first practice today, Leatherwood lined up on the right side as the right tackle.

Now, just because Alex Leatherwood is lining up at right tackle, doesn’t mean he will stay there. We saw Teven Jenkins go from RT to RG this offseason and he’s now starting next to Larry Borom. What’s interesting though is if Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus don’t view Larry Borom as a starting caliber RT. Is Leatherwood here to push him? The thing is, Ryan Poles wouldn’t commit to where they see him playing — said he has the ability to play multiple positions.

Personally, I think the best-case scenario is for Alex Leatherwood to become the Chicago Bears’ starting left guard in 2023. Allow him to sit this year and focus on learning behind Cody Whitehair. Whitehair was a potential cap-casualty this offseason and he becomes an even bigger possibility of one next offseason. If you could imagine the starting offensive line from left to right going forward as Braxton Jones, Alex Leatherwood, a rookie center, Teven Jenkins, and Larry Borom, that is a youthful line that can grow together.

Chicago Bears continue adding offense by claiming this WR from Vikings

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Again, talent wins out though and these guys need to prove they deserve those starting spots. I trust Chris Morgon to put these guys in the best positions to succeed and as much as I’d love to see Leatherwood at left guard, he’s never done it before to my knowledge. In high school, he was a left tackle. At Alabama, he saw most of his games at left tackle, but also started a decent amount (15) at right guard. This is a situation we must keep an eye on as the season progresses.