As Alex Leatherwood stood in an unfamiliar locker room at Halas Hall, the most recent Chicago Bears offensive lineman was requested to explain his earlier 48 hours.
“Wild, of course,” Leatherwood stated Thursday.
The former first-round decide was minimize Tuesday by the Las Vegas Raiders. He was claimed by the Bears on Wednesday and scheduled a flight to Chicago that arrived about midnight. And he accomplished his first Bears follow with reps at proper sort out by early Thursday afternoon.
It was all so new he nonetheless was attempting to study his teammates’ names.
But the 6-foot-5, 312-pound lineman was able to embrace the chance as a substitute of dwelling on any detrimental feelings he may need concerning the Raiders slicing ties with him after only one season.
“It’s not really my concern,” Leatherwood stated when requested concerning the dangerous style of his Las Vegas exit. “I’m more concerned with the future and the things that I’ve got going on here now.”
What Leatherwood turns into for the Bears is simply one other query on an offensive line loaded with them.
In a information convention addressing many subjects Thursday, basic supervisor Ryan Poles stated Leatherwood can play guard and sort out and left open the opportunity of both choice. The Raiders, who stunned by drafting Leatherwood seventeenth general out of Alabama in 2021, moved him inside after early-season struggles at sort out, however he nonetheless began all 18 video games.
Poles stated he was wanting to examine him out on the sphere in individual.
“Talented player, physically gifted for sure. Prototype in his size and movement,” Poles stated. “And then when it comes to success with him right here, all of us consider in participant growth, and we’ve put items in place to permit gamers to be their finest selves. So we’re going to strategy that in many various methods, and we’re going to offer him a possibility to develop and develop.
“Forget the draft pick thing. That’s over. So let’s start from the ground floor. Let’s build you up and take your time. We want to put him in the best position to succeed.”
Leatherwood provides the Bears an alternative choice in a bunch that even Poles appeared to acknowledge has quite a lot of uncertainty round it as they head right into a Week 1 matchup in opposition to a San Francisco 49ers protection that may ship Nick Bosa — the sting rusher who had 15½ sacks final season — hurtling towards Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
Braxton Jones, the fifth-round select of FCS Southern Utah, has impressed Poles by how briskly he has developed at left sort out, however Poles stated the Bears have to see how he handles the league’s prime cross rushers — and the inevitable bumps that may include that.
Teven Jenkins has been at proper guard for only a few weeks. Center Lucas Patrick has been out nearly all of coaching camp with a proper hand damage, and Sam Mustipher has crammed in. And Larry Borom is attempting to develop extra consistency at proper sort out after eight begins in his rookie season.
“Through preseason they have gotten better,” Poles stated. “That’s the preseason. We’re going to see when the lights come on. We’ll continue to adjust and do everything we can to make that unit better and everything around it better.”
While there are quite a few questions, Poles at the least has assembled a forged of linemen with versatility and decisions, with veteran Riley Reiff becoming a member of Leatherwood as potential replacements ought to others not work out.
Jenkins was among the many largest questions throughout coaching camp, with NFL Network nonetheless floating his identify as a commerce candidate as current as Tuesday though the transfer from sort out to proper guard appeared to be a constructive growth. Jenkins admitted later that evening he was anxious about probably being dealt and thought “it could still happen at any moment.”
And there are nonetheless unknowns concerning the mixture of heart and proper guard when Patrick returns from damage as quickly as subsequent week.
But Poles stated Thursday Jenkins shouldn’t be nervous a couple of commerce.
“ I had a good conversation with him and I told him how proud I was of him,” Poles stated. “It’s about building the best five. We have a good five with him at guard. So I think it’s good for us to have Teven at guard right now.”
Whether Leatherwood finally makes sufficient strides to interchange Jenkins or Borom stays to be seen. Right now, Leatherwood stated he isn’t specializing in a timeline and is conserving an open thoughts about what may occur.
“Just all depends on how long it takes to get the language and stuff like that,” Leatherwood stated. “It’s all ball at the end of the day, but it’s just about the terminology, just getting used to it. Trying to be a student.”
After a chaotic few days, Leatherwood could have a while to settle in. The Bears have a three-day weekend earlier than resuming Week 1 follow Monday.
But in the long term, Leatherwood believes he will probably be an excellent match.
“To be honest, I feel like I’ll fit well,” Leatherwood stated. “I’m strong and fast. I feel like no matter what it is, I’ll just give my best effort to do it. Doesn’t matter what the scheme is.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com