Getty Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.
The Chicago Bears are cutting their losses with guard Alex Leatherwood after spending roughly the past year trying to draw out his first-round potential.
According to the team’s official transaction wire for August 27, the Bears released Leatherwood on Sunday in their first series of moves to reach the 53-man roster limit. They also cut veteran backup quarterback P.J. Walker and waived undrafted rookie offensive lineman Gabe Houy with an injury designation.
The Bears took a gamble on Leatherwood last August after the Las Vegas Raiders — who originally drafted him at No. 17 overall in 2021 — waived him during their 53-man roster cutdown, but he played just 43 snaps over four appearances and spent most of the 2022 season inactive on game days. He had been competing for a backup guard spot in 2023 during training camp, but his release indicates Ja’Tyre Carter beat him out.
The Bears will be responsible for paying the roughly $4.59 million in guaranteed money that Leatherwood is still owed as part of the four-year, $14.4 million rookie contract. It was a deal the Bears inherited — and part of the risk — when they claimed him last year.
The Bears and the rest of the NFL teams will need to finish trimming their 53-man rosters before the cutdown deadline at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, August 29.
Bears May Have Big Plans for Ja’Tyre Carter in 2023
The Bears’ decision to roll the dice on Leatherwood was a worthwhile bet in 2022 when they were touting one of the thinnest and least qualified offensive line units in the NFL. He was a first-round lineman who had been selected just six picks after quarterback Justin Fields in 2021 and would have been worth the guaranteed money if he had proven to be a serviceable member of their rotation, even as a backup option.
Besides, the Bears’ ample salary-cap resources put them in a good position to take a financial risk on a young talent like Leatherwood. They entered the 2023 offseason with the league’s most cap space and are still inside the top 10 with about $16.5 million left, making it far less of a concern that they will still have to pay him nearly $5 million.
Ultimately, though, the Bears’ reasons for keeping Leatherwood were eliminated this summer when Carter — a 2022 seventh-round pick — emerged as a quality backup.
Carter played significant snaps at right guard during the Bears’ three preseason games over the past month, giving up zero sacks, two quarterback hurries and two pressures over 69 total pass-blocking snaps. He also impressed throughout the month of camp practices with his improved technique and power, particularly as a run blocker — an area in which he received a strong preseason grade (82.6) from Pro Football Focus.
Carter had been expected to make the roster as the Bears’ top backup right guard even if Leatherwood — who mostly played on the left side in camp — had panned out, but their decision to ditch the latter speaks to the confidence the team has in him for 2023. If he can prove to be an effective backup in 2023, it will be another win for Ryan Poles.
Could Bears Find More Interior OL Help on Waivers?
The Bears might have been comfortable letting Leatherwood go with Lucas Patrick and Carter in place as backup interior pieces, but that should not prevent them from looking for additional help on the waivers as other teams make their cuts in the coming days.
Right now, the Bears are expecting to begin the regular season without starting left guard Teven Jenkins after ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported last Monday, August 21, that the 2021 second-round pick had sustained calf strains in both of his legs. Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune added that Jenkins could remain sidelined for another five weeks.
The Bears did move veteran Cody Whitehair back to the left guard spot in practice to cover for Jenkins’ absence, but he was due to be their starting center in 2023 and has been dealing with his own injury — to his snapping hand — that could prevent him from returning to the center job even if the Bears figure out an alternative starter on the left.
The uncertainty with Whitehair’s hand could persuade the Bears to keep 2022 sixth-round pick Doug Kramer on their initial 53-man roster, but considering he missed all of his rookie season with an injury, Chicago might want a more proven solution as their backup center. It does not help that Patrick — who plays guard and center — has also been dealing with an injury that keeps him “day-to-day,” in Matt Eberflus’ words.
It is also not out of the question that the Bears might want to find another offensive tackle on the waivers in the coming days. Larry Borom, a 17-game starter, is their top candidate to serve as the swing tackle behind starters Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright after logging reps on both sides in the preseason, but they pursued Wright — a first-round pick — in the first place because of Borom’s disappointing second year.