Alex Leatherwood has barely been seen on a game field since his one-season Raiders partnership ended. The former first-round pick, however, did spend last season on the Browns’ practice squad.
Cleveland did not retain Leatherwood, but the former Alabama blocker will receive another opportunity. The Chargers are bringing him in, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. Leatherwood last saw action as a Bears backup during the 2022 season.
It is difficult for a team to fare worse in a stretch with five first-round picks than the Raiders did during the Jon Gruden-Mike Mayock drafts. Of the players chosen from 2019-21, only one (Josh Jacobs) has been a regular starter. Henry Ruggs and Damon Arnette are out of the league, while Johnathan Abram has bounced around as a backup. Clelin Ferrell stabilized his career, to a degree, as a 49ers starter on a low-cost deal in 2023. The Saints and Commanders, respectively, signed Abram and Ferrell to one-year deals this offseason. Leatherwood, however, became the quickest of those Raider first-rounders to wash out with his original NFL team.
More to come.