As teams around the NFL prepare for final roster cuts in anticipation of the regular season, the Raiders find themselves in a precarious situation regarding second-year offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood.
The former Alabama star was selected No. 17 in the 2021 NFL Draft, but has fallen down the depth chart and is now in danger of being cut from the roster.
According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review Journal, “all options are on the table” with how to proceed with Leatherwood.
Options include moving Leatherwood back to guard, where he spent most of his rookie season, trading him elsewhere or cutting him.
Leatherwood has fallen to fourth on the depth chart at right tackle. While Bonsignore notes that it could be extreme for the team to cut such a high draft pick so early in his career, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility since new Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler and new coach Josh McDaniels have no ties to drafting him.
The roster decision on Leatherwood will be one to watch in the coming days as the former first-rounder has a murky future with the Raiders in front of him.
It’s apparent that the Steelers offensive line is struggling again this season and adding Leathewood to their roster will not only promote more competition, but adding a former 1st round draft pick with a lot of upside might be the exact thing the Steelers offense needs.
