3 first year Chicago Bears who may not earn a second chance in 2023

2. Chicago Bears may be done with the Alex Leatherwood experiment

The Chicago Bears took a low-risk gamble on Alex Leatherwood. It was never going to be a bad decision, and there is no opportunity cost staring you in the face in the way that Velus Jones is. However, this is another player where the Chicago Bears tried something, quickly realized it did not work, and then pivoted.

Alex Leatherwood came along slow due to an injury, but they started to mix him into the rotation late in the season. He was worked in against Green Bay and was going to get his second look against the Eagles. In that game, he played 10 snaps as a pass blocker, and he allowed four pressures and a sack. The sack pushed the team out of field goal range.

He was beyond awful, and the Bears immediately benched him. He played five snaps the rest of the season, all of them when the game was far over. It was clear that the small sample against the Eagles left a large impression on the coaching staff, and we may not see Leatherwood for that extended of a look again.

The Chicago Bears added Darnell Wright with the ninth overall pick. Leatherwood has played left tackle but was a disaster for the Raiders. Beyond that, he will struggle to beat out Larry Borom for the swing tackle job. So, he may make it as a 10th lineman, but his roster spot is far from locked down.

Leatherwood was a former first-round pick, and fans were excited about this gamble. However, now he is entering year two and the team is all but ready to move on.