The Chicago Bears are activating offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood to the 53-man roster, coach Matt Eberflus told reporters Friday.
The Bears claimed Leatherwood off waivers from the Las Vegas Raiders back on Aug. 31. He landed on the reserve/non-football injury list on Sept. 14, which required him to miss at least four games. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Leatherwood had mononucleosis.
Leatherwood, a 2021 first-round pick, started all 17 games as a rookie, where he played at both right tackle and right guard.
The Bears designated Leatherwood’s 21-day window to return from NFI last week. Given the current state of the offensive line — where they’re down three starters in Cody Whitehair, Lucas Patrick and Larry Borom — getting Leatherwood back is huge.
With that in mind, Chicago likely won’t rush him back. Veteran Riley Reiff is expected to get the start at right tackle with Borom sidelined with a concussion.
