And the other side of that coin is first-round guy or not…if you can’t play, you’re gone. The “cost” of keeping such a guy on the roster for the next two years involves more than just money. He’s taking up a valuable roster spot that could be put to better use. He’s already had three years to learn how to do the job — far more than Braxton Jones. I’ll give our genius coaches one year to salvage him, but not 3 more just because he’s “cheap”. I go back to the fact that the Bears were the ONLY team to submit a waiver claim on this guy. If he’s a great reclamation project, why didn’t 30 other GMs not see this wonderful opportunity? (That’s a rhetorical question.)
The roster spot AL is taking up was held by Zach Thomas--a 6th round OL pick this year who's since been moved to the PS. Don't see much of a "lost opportunity cost" there as he's still on the team and will be around next year to compete for a roster spot. It's very unlikely he will be poached off the PS by another team this season, VERY unlikely.
I am not a big fan of Thomas, but that’s not the only use of that roster spot in 2022 (or future if they want to drag this out).
And the other side of that coin is first-round guy or not…if you can’t play, you’re gone. The “cost” of keeping such a guy on the roster for the next two years involves more than just money. He’s taking up a valuable roster spot that could be put to better use. He’s already had three years to learn how to do the job — far more than Braxton Jones. I’ll give our genius coaches one year to salvage him, but not 3 more just because he’s “cheap”. I go back to the fact that the Bears were the ONLY team to submit a waiver claim on this guy. If he’s a great reclamation project, why didn’t 30 other GMs not see this wonderful opportunity? (That’s a rhetorical question.)
But he was a rookie last year. Like Justin Fields. Both struggled a lot in their rookie year. It's not unusual for guys to struggle that rookie season. Fields looked like crap. So did this kid.
He had coaches trying to teach him technique at Alabama. He had two years for the Raiders to try and fail. Say what you want about Cable, but he’s been an offensive line coach in the NFL for 16 years. He was a strong advocate for drafting him in the first round. He knows how to coach the fundamentals that Leatherwood doesn’t have. Nobody here considers that the problem is Leatherwood himself instead of all his prior coaches. My view is that he is lacking in learning ability, physical ability, and/or motivation for self-improvement. My final point is that the Raiders tried like hell to trade him and nobody would give a ham sandwich for him and ONLY the Bears submitted a waiver claim on him. No other team. It seems 31 GMs have the same assessment as I.
The roster spot AL is taking up was held by Zach Thomas--a 6th round OL pick this year who's since been moved to the PS. Don't see much of a "lost opportunity cost" there as he's still on the team and will be around next year to compete for a roster spot. It's very unlikely he will be poached off the PS by another team this season, VERY unlikely.
I am not a big fan of Thomas, but that’s not the only use of that roster spot in 2022 (or future if they want to drag this out).
There is no player that could plausibly be acquired for that roster spot that would make a hill of beans worth of difference for this season. We are talking about the 50th or so of a 53-man roster. Any player still available at this point, whether off waivers, a free agent, or even by trade, is going to come with costs and question marks. Any player that would be a "major upgrade" out of the box is on another team and not going anywhere.
But he was a rookie last year. Like Justin Fields. Both struggled a lot in their rookie year. It's not unusual for guys to struggle that rookie season. Fields looked like crap. So did this kid.
He had coaches trying to teach him technique at Alabama. He had two years for the Raiders to try and fail. Say what you want about Cable, but he’s been an offensive line coach in the NFL for 16 years. He was a strong advocate for drafting him in the first round. He knows how to coach the fundamentals that Leatherwood doesn’t have. Nobody here considers that the problem is Leatherwood himself instead of all his prior coaches. My view is that he is lacking in learning ability, physical ability, and/or motivation for self-improvement. My final point is that the Raiders tried like hell to trade him and nobody would give a ham sandwich for him and ONLY the Bears submitted a waiver claim on him. No other team. It seems 31 GMs have the same assessment as I.
He had ONE year with the Raiders, not two. He was a rookie in 2021 and switched positions.
As has already been discussed, the Bears claimed more players off waivers (7) than any other team. They would have held that position even if they didn't claim AL and only did for 6. It's a tacit admission that A) the Bears don't have a strong roster and B) don't have the means for "expensive" acquisitions right now.
Maybe you're right and Leatherwood is an un-coachable, un-motivated knucklehead who won't show any significant improvement. If so, the Bears will cut him after this season and eat a modest dead cap hit. Not a big deal.
He had coaches trying to teach him technique at Alabama. He had two years for the Raiders to try and fail. Say what you want about Cable, but he’s been an offensive line coach in the NFL for 16 years. He was a strong advocate for drafting him in the first round. He knows how to coach the fundamentals that Leatherwood doesn’t have. Nobody here considers that the problem is Leatherwood himself instead of all his prior coaches. My view is that he is lacking in learning ability, physical ability, and/or motivation for self-improvement. My final point is that the Raiders tried like hell to trade him and nobody would give a ham sandwich for him and ONLY the Bears submitted a waiver claim on him. No other team. It seems 31 GMs have the same assessment as I.
He had ONE year with the Raiders, not two. He was a rookie in 2021 and switched positions.
As has already been discussed, the Bears claimed more players off waivers (7) than any other team. They would have held that position even if they didn't claim AL and only did for 6. It's a tacit admission that A) the Bears don't have a strong roster and B) don't have the means for "expensive" acquisitions right now.
Maybe you're right and Leatherwood is an un-coachable, un-motivated knucklehead who won't show any significant improvement. If so, the Bears will cut him after this season and eat a modest dead cap hit. Not a big deal.
Leatherwood started every game last year and had over 1,000 snaps. They had all of training camp plus preseason games in 2022 to assess him. That spans a two-year period with MORE than enough time to see that he made virtually ZERO progress over that period.
I hope the Bears will cut him after one year if this continues. But I am doubly skeptical that (1) he will be as good as Whitehair at LG and (2) that it will make any difference if Poles is determined to replace Whitehair in his ongoing project to get rid of players from the previous regime and save the money.
I am not a big fan of Thomas, but that’s not the only use of that roster spot in 2022 (or future if they want to drag this out).
There is no player that could plausibly be acquired for that roster spot that would make a hill of beans worth of difference for this season. We are talking about the 50th or so of a 53-man roster. Any player still available at this point, whether off waivers, a free agent, or even by trade, is going to come with costs and question marks. Any player that would be a "major upgrade" out of the box is on another team and not going anywhere.
Of course, but I would 100 times rather have Tyler Johnson off waivers than Leatherwood — just to give one example. He can actually perform his job.
But he was a rookie last year. Like Justin Fields. Both struggled a lot in their rookie year. It's not unusual for guys to struggle that rookie season. Fields looked like crap. So did this kid.
He had coaches trying to teach him technique at Alabama. He had two years for the Raiders to try and fail. Say what you want about Cable, but he’s been an offensive line coach in the NFL for 16 years. He was a strong advocate for drafting him in the first round. He knows how to coach the fundamentals that Leatherwood doesn’t have. Nobody here considers that the problem is Leatherwood himself instead of all his prior coaches. My view is that he is lacking in learning ability, physical ability, and/or motivation for self-improvement. My final point is that the Raiders tried like hell to trade him and nobody would give a ham sandwich for him and ONLY the Bears submitted a waiver claim on him. No other team. It seems 31 GMs have the same assessment as I.
The offensive line position at the NFL level is not an easy transition from the college game. It is not at all unusual for players to struggle their rookie season. It has always been the case. Some pick it up quicker than others. The Bears seem to believe they can develop this player - and felt it was worth investing in him. Let's hope they're right. The guy is a Bear now and we should be pulling for him to be a success here. We've followed football long enough to know many many many players who sucked their rookie season but had solid careers. For that matter I can think, just off the top of my head, players in the Hall of Fame who struggled initially. It didn't mean they had learning disabilities or lacked motivation - it just took a bit to develop. It happens.
Will this guy make it? I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see. He seems worth a waiver claim to me, if the Bears truly believe he has a high ceiling.
He had coaches trying to teach him technique at Alabama. He had two years for the Raiders to try and fail. Say what you want about Cable, but he’s been an offensive line coach in the NFL for 16 years. He was a strong advocate for drafting him in the first round. He knows how to coach the fundamentals that Leatherwood doesn’t have. Nobody here considers that the problem is Leatherwood himself instead of all his prior coaches. My view is that he is lacking in learning ability, physical ability, and/or motivation for self-improvement. My final point is that the Raiders tried like hell to trade him and nobody would give a ham sandwich for him and ONLY the Bears submitted a waiver claim on him. No other team. It seems 31 GMs have the same assessment as I.
He had ONE year with the Raiders, not two. He was a rookie in 2021 and switched positions.
As has already been discussed, the Bears claimed more players off waivers (7) than any other team. They would have held that position even if they didn't claim AL and only did for 6. It's a tacit admission that A) the Bears don't have a strong roster and B) don't have the means for "expensive" acquisitions right now.
Maybe you're right and Leatherwood is an un-coachable, un-motivated knucklehead who won't show any significant improvement. If so, the Bears will cut him after this season and eat a modest dead cap hit. Not a big deal.
Marshal Faulk and Brett Farve were seen as the same. Is Leatherwood going to be a future HoF'r, not likely, but if the issue is attitude, that can be worked on and changed as proof of those 2 I mentioned.
He had ONE year with the Raiders, not two. He was a rookie in 2021 and switched positions.
As has already been discussed, the Bears claimed more players off waivers (7) than any other team. They would have held that position even if they didn't claim AL and only did for 6. It's a tacit admission that A) the Bears don't have a strong roster and B) don't have the means for "expensive" acquisitions right now.
Maybe you're right and Leatherwood is an un-coachable, un-motivated knucklehead who won't show any significant improvement. If so, the Bears will cut him after this season and eat a modest dead cap hit. Not a big deal.
Marshal Faulk and Brett Farve were seen as the same. Is Leatherwood going to be a future HoF'r, not likely, but if the issue is attitude, that can be worked on and changed as proof of those 2 I mentioned.
Not guaranteed, but it is possible.
+1 And the Bears situation this year makes it a good move. If we were expecting to be a team on the cusp of winning now, then maybe you pass on Leatherwood. But the Bears are instead in a position this 1st rebuilding season, of having fewer draft picks and cap money, and have a roster hurting for talent. Why NOT take a flyer on a guy like this? This really is the year to do that. See if the coaches can unlock his potential. And if it is an attitude thing contributing to his rookie year not panning out, well, getting waived after 1 season may be a sobering thing to him. It would be for a lot of guys. And if he does turn out to be a good OL then 2023 the Bears have a nice piece there, no matter how they fit him into their plans moving forward. But if he doesn't pan out, it's not like it's a zillion-dollar investment going bad. It's a guy on his rookie contract. Just move on.
He had coaches trying to teach him technique at Alabama. He had two years for the Raiders to try and fail. Say what you want about Cable, but he’s been an offensive line coach in the NFL for 16 years. He was a strong advocate for drafting him in the first round. He knows how to coach the fundamentals that Leatherwood doesn’t have. Nobody here considers that the problem is Leatherwood himself instead of all his prior coaches. My view is that he is lacking in learning ability, physical ability, and/or motivation for self-improvement. My final point is that the Raiders tried like hell to trade him and nobody would give a ham sandwich for him and ONLY the Bears submitted a waiver claim on him. No other team. It seems 31 GMs have the same assessment as I.
The offensive line position at the NFL level is not an easy transition from the college game. It is not at all unusual for players to struggle their rookie season. It has always been the case. Some pick it up quicker than others. The Bears seem to believe they can develop this player - and felt it was worth investing in him. Let's hope they're right. The guy is a Bear now and we should be pulling for him to be a success here. We've followed football long enough to know many many many players who sucked their rookie season but had solid careers. For that matter I can think, just off the top of my head, players in the Hall of Fame who struggled initially. It didn't mean they had learning disabilities or lacked motivation - it just took a bit to develop. It happens.
Will this guy make it? I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see. He seems worth a waiver claim to me, if the Bears truly believe he has a high ceiling.
Soooo, how much more time does he get? One more year? Two more years? I agree that one year is not a huge deal, but, as I’ve said, that’s not what worries me. It’s that they will drag this out too long before facing reality that they made a mistake. We’ve seen that Poles is replacing Pace recruits with his own, I am thinking Whitehair is next to go in favor of Leatherwood. Morgan could double his pff passing blocking grade and that would only get him up to what butkus calls MEH level.