The Chargers made an eyebrow-raising move Wednesday afternoon, as it was announced the Bolts signed former first round tackle Alex Leatherwood from free agency.
Joe Hortiz waived UDFA tackle Tyler Smith on May 23rd, opening up a spot on the 90-man roster. Many speculated an acquisition or trade was oncoming, with fans hoping for an impactful veteran signing such as safety Justin Simmons or some interior offensive line support.
However, Hortiz replaced a tackle with a tackle.
Leatherwood was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021 initially as a right tackle but was eventually bumped to guard. It was a quick experiment for Las Vegas, as he was waived in training camp of his second year after the Raiders couldn’t find a trade partner for him. The Bears claimed him off waivers, but like the Raiders, let him go the following training camp.
Leatherwood signed with the Browns practice squad last year, but didn’t take any regular season snaps.
What makes this move curious is the logjam the Chargers currently have a tackle, and the lack of proven talent or depth at guard. The signing announced Leatherwood as a tackle, though he could still be flexed to guard like how both the Raiders and the Bears utilized him. However, this could also indicate the Chargers are either very confident in Trey Pipkins’ transition to guard, or are preparing to deal him in a post-June 1st trade.
The timing of this move certainly foreshadows a second move involving Pipkins, perhaps reuniting him with his biggest supporter Tom Telesco. If not, it’s likely Leatherwood is just a camp body and Hortiz isn’t feeling pressured to bring in a veteran safety or fill more pressing holes at the moment.
How do you feel about this move, StormCloud?
That’s not what I meant to infer.
I’m just pretty convinced that Risner or another vet would likely be a better RG than Salyer, and that Salyer’s best positional fit is at tackle.
Leatherwood has the potential to “complete the room" by being a backup swing or 7th or 8th depth piece since he has some versatility. In my eyes, our top-9 offensive lineman are probably 5 tackles, a center, a guard, and maybe Jaimes/McFadden. Jaimes/McFadden/Leatherwood are probably competing for the last two spots, one’s goings PS.
It just doesn’t make sense to me to keep this personnel group the way it is. I think we need at least one more true guard. I believe Pipkins has the least versatility between the depth tackles, but probably has the most value on the trade market. That to me signals “GO" for a trade.
It just really seems like an insane waste of resources to me if Pipkins is kept, unless Salyer and/or Pipkins truly breaks out as an above-average starter at RG. I’m just not hopeful for that… and I think there are available pieces that would perform at replacement-level, which is essentially where Salyer hovered last year.
Kyle, if Pipkins was gone, who would you plug in at swing OT? Leatherwood? Barnhart? McClellan? IMO, it’s too late in the offseason to plug a hole that would be created by letting Pipkins go. I am not a fan of toggling multiple positions to fill a hole created by an injury. For example, assuming Pipkins is gone and let’s say Alt went down, I would rather have a set swing tackle to put in rather than kicking Salyer out to OT and then having someone fill in at RG which would create turnover at two positions. There is NO WAY the starting 5 OL will play together all season so having designated depth at IOL and OT is critical.
I think Risner’s floor is better than Salyer’s performance last year. He doesn’t have the upside of a young guy like Salyer, but I’d much prefer bringing in another veteran to compete for a starting spot, and assuming he beats out Salyer at guard, I’d love Jamaree to be our swing tackle for the next two years, and beyond if we can afford him.
It seems (at least for now) that Hortiz is signalling to us not to focus so much on the idea of a ‘true guard’ for 2024.
The program is in its infancy, and there are candidates who could be starting calibre NFL Right Guards: Leatherwood, Salyer, Pipkins, McFadden, Willis Patrick, Jaimes, Bozeman (if McFadden proves to be a better Center!).
We also know Harbaugh likes to use unbalanced formations. Karsen Barnhart, Trente Jones and Myles Hinton (all Michigan Offensive Tackles) lined up as the Y-TE on 99 snaps last year. That was approximately the same number of snaps as Michigan’s TE3 (Max Bredeson who played 103 snaps in line).
I’m prepared to sit this debate out and trust that Harbaugh and Hortiz know what they’re doing by not being in a rush to bring in extra IOL.
Hey Alister, join the fun!! I have faith in H&H also, but Leatherwood doesn’t move the needle for me. If we take the Ravens as an example, they were always pretty strong with their IOL play and didn’t shuffle players around once they got settled into certain positions. I would feel a whole lot better if there was another veteran IOL signed before camp. I am still not comfortable with the IOL depth, but maybe one of the UDFA can step up and solidify the depth there.
After the Draft, Harbaugh only half-jokingly said that he would start 5 OTs on the OL if he could. People laughed but I think he might seriously see an advantage there. So it comes as no surprise to me that Leatherwood gets added to a group that already includes tackles like Pipkins and Salyer. I think Harbaugh might actually see a competitive advantage against NFL Defenses in the running game by having OTs play at Guard. We’ll see!
@kylededi
Completely agree. I’ve seen Salyer be surprisingly good at LT and surprisingly average at RG. His quick feet and punch are a much better fit for tackle.
Completely agree with this as well. There are lots of very good vet options that the team can sign at a reasonable price.
Hortiz has done a brilliant job of maneuvering the roster into a position where he has the cap space to keep Trey and the depth to trade him. If the offer is there, I would not hesitate to pull the trigger on a trade. Trey is under contract through 2025. Can’s see Trey on the roster next year, so a trade when his value is at it’s peak seems reasonable.
@kevdiego
Trey’s value is the interesting thing here for sure! If we experiment with him at guard, and he flounders, will that hurt the league’s perception of him? If he doesn’t become our starting guard, will his value increase on the bench, or would his value only increase if we had an injury to Slater or Alt that let him display his capabilities at T once again.
I’m really, really confident in this coaching staff, so most of this is just me chewin’ and stewin’ on what I’d personally do. Whatever they decide, I’m all-in.
I’m just especially invested in trading Pipkins because going Tackle (albeit, with a trade-back) and then trading Pipkins to the Raiders was a hot take I had months ago 🤣 🤣
Joe needs to pick up the phone and call Tommy and extract a (likely very high) 3rd round pick from LV.
Either way, I think Leatherwood starts the season on the PS. I like the idea of stacking the entire 90 man roster with players that could help the team win games in 2024. I feel much better about having a 25 year old 1st round pick as the 4th (or 5th) tackle/guard option.
Wow. a 3rd Round pick would be pretty high for Tre Pipkens. That’s a steal if we get it. And If Leatherwood makes the roster that won’t be saying a lot for what we have in the building. I think P/S or Released but will definitely get to play a lot in the preseason and who knows what will happen.
DANGIT
Actually – in seeing the terms of the deal, $4M is steeper than I was willing to go. Carry on… time to shake up the etch-o-sketch.
A few thoughts:
First, what a horrible pick by the Raiders. Jerry Tillery bad. FTR
I don’t view Alex as a “Pipkins replacement." I think the team is looking for an athletic vet that can start the season on the practice squad and elevate during the season if there are injuries on the OL
A few things stick out in Alex’s draft scouting report: https://www.nfl.com/prospects/alex-leatherwood/32004c45-4173-2379-61f9-b62d58f5c85e
Maybe time with Ben Herbert can build strength on his athletic frame & the coaching staff can light a fire under his ass. He’s an experienced vet with position versatility that the team can stash on the PS. Leatherwood is a year younger than Foster Sarell (and a better athlete). If anyone should be worried about their position in the Chargers organization, it should be Foster.
This better not preempt a trade of Pipkins as some sort of depth replacement for him. If dealing Pipkins has really been in the plans, then a better OT should have been added already. Leatherwood has been a bust at multiple stops at multiple positions. If Hortiz and Harbaugh somehow see him as anything more than a camp body or God forbid OL depth, it will be the first really bad and unexplainable move they have made. Let’s see anyone that thinks this is a smart depth signing in May, have that same thought if he nightmarishly gets pressed into a game, especially an OT spot. People will be pining away for the halcyon days of Jared Gaither and Sam Tevi.
Just out of interest Erick, did you scout Leatherwood coming out of ‘Bama and/or have you watched his All-22 film as a Pro? I haven’t.
I get he’s graded poorly as a pass protector at various stops so far (for what it’s worth, his run blocking has been about average for an NFL starter, which is decent for a younger player). Maybe Harbaugh and Roman’s running scheme can extract something from Leatherwood that other inferior NFL coaches haven’t been able to so far.
I wouldn’t worry too much about him being Pipkins’ replacement until he shows that he’s close to Pipkins’ standard (or better) in training camp. Only if that happened would I expect Leatherwood to replace Pipkins on the roster.
So, Harbaugh would have seen Leatherwood up close in the 2020 Citrus Bowl, Michigan vs Alabama.
In that game, Leatherwood played reasonably well per PFF, with a 78.0 pass blocking grade, but a fairly meagre run blocking grade even though Harris had 136 yards and 2 touchdowns. Harbaugh would have prepared for that line, with Leatherwood and Evan Neal being the two ‘stars’ on up front.
So perhaps he saw something there? He has insight into him? Maybe Leatherwood will thrive in a ‘college style’ environment akin to Alabama and Saban that Harbaugh will create? Who knows. I’m not expecting much. I’m not even expecting him to take Pipkins’ spot. If he does? Awesome. If he doesn’t meh.
Yet it’s another one of those strategic moves that is low risk high reward type that Hortiz is already become known for.
I see this as a reasonable move in a continuing attempt to build depth. Reseving judgment until I see reps outta Leatherwood but I think he could provide a better swing tackle option in this offense than Pipkins. We’ll see soon enough.
I share your concern at IOL, particularly at center, as I’ve repeatedly stated. I can only hope that there’s a plan here that I don’t yet see. IMO, neither Bradley nor anyone else currently on the roster is a long-term answer. Perhaps I’ll be pleasantly surprised….but that doesn’t inspire confidence.
The amount of post-hype first and second round picks on prove-it or inexpensive deals is pretty amazing.
Hortiz is killing it. If one or two of the many cast-offs he’s brought in “hit," they reap the benefits in free agency, and us in comp picks. It’s way easier for a first or second rounder to get paid after a redemption arc than a day 3 guy…
So yeah, why fill our depth each year with guys that have never seen the field?
Let’s keep this high-level shall we, without diving into PFF grades and statistics.
Alex Leatherwood is a five-star high school recruit, Alabama player and former first-round pick who’s still only 25yo.
Bringing in a player like that is a breath of fresh air > the usual Day 3 or UDFA garbage we expect to fill the backend of the 53-man roster.
Buh bye Pipkins.
Yes, let the Pipkins and Telesco infatuation continue in Vegas. Especially if we can get anything in trade. Leatherwood came in with a chance to be very good. This feels like a low risk and potential pleasant surprise move.
Leatherwood played right guard at Alabama in 2018 (935 snaps) he earned a PFF grade of 65.0. He gave up 2-sacks, 4-hits, 15-hurries.
2019 he played left tackle (748snaps) he earned a PFF grade of 74.0. He gave up 0-sacks, 1-hit, 9-hurries.
2020 he played left tackle (867 snaps) he earned a 80.7 PFF grade. He gave up 3-sacks, 4-hits, 9-hurries.
85.4 run block, 73.4 pass block.
2021 1st round pick (17th overall).
What the heck happened?!
Maybe Roman/Harbaugh think that there is a chance to turn him back into what he was?
I’m ok with this signing. He definitely has the Alabama pedigree and a recent first round pick. Maybe he plays like it is his last chance. Maybe Harbaugh/Roman get him over the hump. Low risk signing.
I’m still waiting as you are for safety depth. There is a glut of free agent safety’s available. Simmons would be a nice addition. Maybe he is too pricey and teams are waiting.