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Chicago Bears coach discusses plan for former Alabama star OL Alex Leatherwood
By Crissy Froyd
Published:
It was a bit surprising to see the Las Vegas Raiders waive former first-round pick Alex Leatherwood out of Alabama after just one season, but that part is now behind him as the former SEC star has a chance to find success with a change of scenery.
Leatherwood landed with the Chicago Bears shortly after being let go, and head coach Matt Eberflus seems confident in how things can work out for him moving forward.
“We studied him on tape. We looked at him,” Eberflus said, in a report from Josh Schrock of NBCSportsChicago.com. “Some guys have been with him, some guys that were in Vegas last year. We have a couple coaches on our staff. Of course, I know [former Raiders defensive line] coach [Rod] Marinelli, used him as a resource. We’ve got nothing but good reports, and we’re excited to have him. We’ll see where he goes from here.”
Eberflus specifically commended Leatherwood for his run-blocking ability but also sees where he simply needs to get better.
“He’s got to develop his game. He’s a young player and we’ve got some really good coaches to help him,” Eberflus said. “Chris Morgan is one of the best line coaches in the NFL. We’re excited to have those guys paired up together.”
It will be interesting to see how the future pans out for Leatherwood as the Bears — who have had some offensive line issues over the years — prepare to open the season against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 11.
Crissy covers SEC football news for Saturday Down South.
