Former Boise State lineman Leno needs new NFL team; Vander Esch may be in same boat soon
The Chicago Bears released former Boise State offensive lineman Charles Leno Jr. on Monday, ending a seven-year run with the franchise that picked him in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Leno played left tackle for the Bears, started 93 consecutive games and made the Pro Bowl as an alternate in 2018. He signed a four-year, $37 million contract extension in 2017.
Leno confirmed the news of his release Monday morning on Twitter, but it doesn’t sound like the 29-year-old native of Oakland, California, is ready to call it a career.
“My time in Chicago has officially come to an end,” he wrote. “It’s a bittersweet day, but I am excited to see where this next chapter takes me.”
Leno’s replacement may already be in the building after the Bears picked two offensive tackles in the draft: Teven Jenkins (Round 2), who played on the right side last season at Oklahoma State, and Larry Broom (Round 5) from Missouri.
The timing of Leno’s release could lead to a reunion with his former position coach at Boise State, Chris Strausser, who is now the offensive line coach in Indianapolis. The Colts are looking for a replacement for left tackle Anthony Castonzo, who announced in January that he was retiring.
Leno started 39 consecutive games at Boise State between 2010 and 2013. He played right tackle before spending two seasons at left, where he earned First-Team All-Mountain West honors as a redshirt senior. He was second-team all-conference as a junior.
Vander Esch could be on the move soon
The Dallas Cowboys are not picking up the fifth-year option on former Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch’s rookie deal, which would have guaranteed him $9.145 million in 2022.
The Cowboys do, however, hope to sign Vander Esch to an extension before his contract expires next year, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.
The Cowboys picked Vander Esch in the first round of the 2018 draft, and he signed a four-year, $11.8 million deal, which included a $6.7 million signing bonus. He’s scheduled to make $2.1 million this year.
The 25-year-old native of Riggins, Idaho, had an outstanding rookie season for the Cowboys, posting 140 tackles and becoming the team’s first rookie linebacker to make the Pro Bowl. A neck injury cost him seven games in 2019, but Vander Esch bounced back in 2020 to finish third on the team with 73 tackles, despite missing six more games with injuries.
Vander Esch and fellow linebacker Jaylon Smith are both expected to play for the Cowboys this year, but the team has clearly been looking to the future. Dallas drafted Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons in the first round (No. 12 overall) of the NFL Draft, and many believe he’ll push for playing time as a rookie. Dallas also picked former LSU linebacker Jabril Cox in the fourth round, and the team signed free agent linebacker Keanu Neal in April.
Vander Esch played at Boise State from 2014 to 2017 and was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year in his final season with the Broncos.
This story was originally published May 3, 2021 at 2:19 PM.
