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The Bears activated offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood off the Non-Football Injury List on Friday, an indication that he’s close to making his Chicago debut.
Leatherwood, a first-round pick in 2021, was claimed by the Bears after he was waived by the Raiders amid final roster cuts. Unfortunately, Leatherwood landed on the NFI list with mononucleosis, which sidelined him for several weeks.
Bears coach Matt Eberflus said Leatherwood is coming along well, when it comes to learning the scheme.
“It’s good. It’s good. It’s working,” Eberflus said Friday, via NBC Sports Chicago. “Work in progress. He hasn’t been here that long, you know, he was out for a little bit, then came back. He’s only been back a couple weeks now, so it’s where we would think it is, but he’s working diligently at it with the coaches and we think he’s in a good spot.”
There are plenty of concerns along Chicago’s offensive line, which isn’t helped by three starters being sidelined ahead of Sunday’s game against the Cowboys. Cody Whitehair remains on injured reserve, Lucas Patrick just landed on IR and Larry Borom is in concussion protocol.
Leatherwood played both right guard and right tackle during his one season with Las Vegas, so he brings versatility to this roster. With a starting right tackle job in need of filling, it certainly looks like Riley Reiff will get the start in place of Borom.
But Leatherwood remains a work in progress. After all, he’s only in his second NFL season and is still adapting to this new scheme. The Bears are hoping Leatherwood develops into an impactful player down the line.
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