It’s clear things just aren’t working out for Alex Leatherwood and the Las Vegas Raiders. During Tuesday’s practice, Jermaine Eluemunor worked ahead of Leatherwood at right tackle despite both Brandon Parker and Thayer Munford being out with an injury.
So if Leatherwood isn’t the team’s starting right tackle in Week 1, is there a chance he is off the roster altogether? Because the closer we get to the season, the seemingly better chance that he’s not on the team.
In a recent article by Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus, he wrote that Leatherwood could be a prime trade or cut candidate over the next few weeks. Here is a snippet of his thoughts on the former first-round pick from Alabama:
“Leatherwood isn’t currently starting for the Raiders in training camp, and he was actually benched during Las Vegas’ preseason game against the Dolphins. He’s played into the second half of each of the Raiders’ past two preseason games, and perhaps there could still be a team interested enough to trade for him in the second year of his rookie contract.
He’d come with fully guaranteed salaries in 2022 ($1.3M), 2023 ($2M) and 2024 ($2.6M), plus a decision on whether to pick up a fifth-year option in 2025.”
With three years left on his deal at very manageable prices, Leatherwood could be of interest to several teams in the NFL. He was highly regarded as a draft prospect and there just aren’t many players around with his size and athleticism.
Things obviously haven’t worked in Las Vegas for either party. So don’t be surprised if the team does try to cut their losses and move on from Leatherwood over the next few weeks.
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