The Raiders are bailing on the Alex Leatherwood experiment after one season. Despite going in the 2021 first round, Leatherwood will be waived Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
A surprise pick at the time, Leatherwood did not do much to impress either of the two Raiders regimes to come through during his time in Las Vegas. The Dave Ziegler–Josh McDaniels regime will cut bait despite three seasons remaining on his rookie contract.
That contract will now turn into a big dead-money hit for the Raiders. By cutting Leatherwood before his second season, the Raiders will be tagged with more than $11MM in dead cap. While that can be spread through 2023, with $7.9MM staying on Vegas’ payroll this year, the defrayed signing bonus hits will lead to one of the bigger dead-cap hits on a rookie contract in recent memory. But the Raiders could not find a place for Leatherwood, after trying him at both tackle and guard.
All options were believed to be on the table with Leatherwood, whom the team attempted to trade. His 2021 performance, contract and perception as a first-round reach certainly impacted those efforts.
The Raiders quickly moved Leatherwood to right guard last season, and Pro Football Focus viewed the Alabama product as one of the league’s worst guard regulars. A move back to tackle did not take. Even after Brandon Parker was lost for the season in training camp, Leatherwood could not seize the gig.
Las Vegas’ O-line plan as a whole has been unusual throughout this offseason. With the exception of left tackle Kolton Miller, the Raiders bring question marks at their other spots. Although Andre James is fairly established at center, though his extension was authorized by the Jon Gruden regime, the team has glaring issues on the right side of its O-line. Ex-Patriot spot starter Jermaine Eluemunor has been a big factor at right tackle, while Lester Cotton — a UDFA who has played in five career games and never started any — has worked as the team’s starting right guard. The Raiders seem primed to scour the waiver wire in the coming hours.
Leatherwood’s departure obviously also shifts the spotlight back to the Gruden-Mike Mayock drafts. Leatherwood and 2020 first-round picks Henry Ruggs and Damon Arnette are gone. Clelin Ferrell has long been shifted to a backup role, and his status with the Raiders is tenuous. The new Raiders front office also did not pick up the fifth-year options on fellow 2019 first-rounders Josh Jacobs and Johnathan Abram. After the team traded Reggie McKenzie-era first-rounders Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper and accumulated first-round capital, there is little to show for those moves.
The money is a sunk cost anyway, so I’m just glad they’re moving off this guy. Being young, he obviously needs to learn; but the lack of progression was frustrating to watch.
Bigger bust or equals? The Titans LT from 2(?) years ago or this guy? Either way both cashed in!
It’s hard to go against Isaiah Wilson who only played one game.
Really I was not expecting the Raiders to move on this quickly. At least give him another year to develop. This now makes 2 straight Raiders 1st round picks cut in their second season. Not to mention Clelin Ferrell on the roster bubble and Jacobs and Abram on walk years. Not much to show for the Raiders’ draft the last few years. No wonder they traded away their top 2 picks.
Oh wait forgot about Damon Arnette too . . .
And they traded Trayvon Mullen too . . . for a seventh rounder. Now what?
Darius Heyward-Bey 7th overall in 09
And even so, he’s probably an upgrade over anything the Steelers currently have
Both Leatherwood and Mullen Pittsburgh should have both acquired.
49ers maybe ?
TV guys, whether they sound sane and analytical (Mayock) or loud and boisterous (Gruden) are still TV guys. Gruden fell into a Super Bowl victory and otherwise seems unfit to lead any team in any way. Matt Millen Part II.
So true hebrewhammer. It’s amazing how much street-cred/runway Jon Gruden got from winning that Super Bowl with Tony Dungy’s team.
At least Gruden worked his way up the coaching ladder. Mayock never worked as a coach or in a front office role before jumping from TV to a GM position. In the end neither one of them was qualified to have final say on draft and personnel decisions.
The Raiders have to be the worst drafters in the last 5 years, at least top couple of round guys
Last 5?
2016 the only “notable” player was Karl Joseph and he wasn’t the best for them.
2015 they got Cooper and no one else.
etc etc
2013 was like their only pretty good draft in the last 20 years.
I think you’re forgetting Josh Jacobs but yes, they’ve been absolutely horrible at drafting. They have a ‘smartest guy in the room’ vibe and seem to almost constantly draft total busts.
I didn’t forget Jacobs. I don’t think he is all that good and drafting a RB in the 1st is not smart. But 2 pretty good guys they did get in Crosby and Renfrow doesn’t make the draft good. The other 2 first rounders were Johnathan Abram and Clelin Ferrell. Trayvon Mullen, Isaiah Johnson, Foster Moreanu, etc. When you have 12 picks and 3 of them are 1st. It is pretty unacceptable to not do better.
Check out the Patriots drafts.
As big as an overdraft as this was, letting him go after one year for nothing when you have to eat all the guaranteed money seems insane to me. He can’t be the 9th lineman and hope he figures it out with a new coaching staff trying to iron things out? It’s not like he was bad in college.
This is an absolute ridiculous move that makes zero sense. The price can’t be cheaper for a guy who knows the playbook that is two injuries away from solidly seeing the field. Josh McDaniels and his assembled staff should be able to coach up Alex to a backup reserve spot.
There has to be another reason for all of this.
moving on from Mayocks busts..
but also this Leatherwood guy is so penalty prone, that he’s not even worth putting out there
Maybe they think the other OLs that did make the roster are just better than Leatherwood. The new coach/GM have no incentive to keep him simply to justify his draft status and salary given that they had nothing to do with it. They are going to be judged on the team’s performance going forward. If anything they are incentivized to get rid of the embarrassing mistakes by the previous management as soon as possible.
I agree .. and Leatherwood never made any sense..
he was being seen as a late 2nd round talent coming into the draft ,
Mayock could’ve at least traded back and got him at like pick 30 if he liked him so much.
I agree, this sends a message that Mayock era is over
That’s what drove me crazy about Gruden and Mayock. Let’s say their judgement on Ferrell and Leatherwood was right, as well as Arnette, etc. Sometimes you have to gamble. Trade back a few slots. Reach for him at #26, for example, and bank a couple of later picks.
I always thought Gruden took guys too early just to prove how smart he is.
well I certainly think Mayock wanted that image .. being the draft guru who took random players who worked out great ..
except they didn’t work out.
I know Gruden is an easy scapegoat , but I’m sure knowing John, he’d just say give me guys who bring physicality.
he was a true football coach and had that org headed in the right direction before emails
Must do a much BETTER job in drafting! YIKES!@!
I wanted Seattle to take him not in rnd 1 though. I would like to see them grab him and see if he had anything they can fix. There has to be a lazy got my money to live good attitude problem. Will be interesting if he fades into oblivion or makes a comeback. Not that he has done anything.
Raiders: We can’t fail by drafting Alabama players! Let’s draft Amari Cooper!
Also Raiders: Trade Cooper and then proceed to draft Henry Ruggs III and Alex leatherwood.
Even the Raiders figured out how to turn a winning strategy into a total zero.