Introduction
Ronald Leary (born April 29, 1989) is an American football guard for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Memphis and signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2012.
Early years
Leary didn't start playing organized football until his junior year at Southern University Lab High School, where he earned All-State and All-District honors. He also lettered in basketball.
He accepted a scholarship to play college football at The University of Memphis. As a redshirt freshman, he was a backup for the left and right tackle positions. The next year, he was named the starter at left tackle, where he would remain for the most part of his college career, while making 36 consecutive starts.
During his senior season, he underwent surgery in May 2011 to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, but didn't miss any games. He ended protecting three different quarterbacks, while starting the first six games at left tackle, before switching to right guard when injuries impacted the offensive line. He was named second-team All-Conference USA and shared team MVP honors with Dontari Poe.
Professional career
Dallas Cowboys
Leary wasn't selected in the 2012 NFL Draft because of a degenerative left knee condition (osteochondritis dissecans), that could potentially shorten his career. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys with the intention of playing him at guard. To secure the signing that was seen as a coup, because he was graded as a third round talent,. the Cowboys gave him a $9,000 signing bonus and guaranteed $205,000 of his $390,000 base salary.
He was waived on August 30, 2012 and signed to the team's practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 21, for the last two games of the season.
Leary entered the 2013 offseason ready to compete for a starting job on the offensive line. He was getting first-team reps at left guard ahead of an injured Nate Livings, before needing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee during preseason. After missing two weeks, he returned in time to start in the season opener against the New York Giants and proceeded to start in all 16 games at left guard.
In 2014, he earned the left guard starting role over Mackenzy Bernadeau and was a part of arguably the best offensive line in the NFL. His best game came against the Houston Texans, when he contained defensive player of the year J. J. Watt.
In 2015, Leary faced competition for his position from La'el Collins, one of the top prospect of the 2015 NFL Draft until rumors about a police investigation made him dropped and was eventually signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cowboys.
Although he suffered from a groin injury in training camp, Leary remained the starter at left guard in 3 of the first 5 games of the season, with his groin strain forcing him to miss the second and third games. Even though he tried to recover quickly from his health problems, he could not overcome them and it affected his play, opening the door for Collins being named the starter during the week 6 bye. Leary would be declared inactive for 10 straight games. He started in the last game against the Washington Redskins in place of an injured Collins, but left in the third quarter after suffering a concussion and was replaced by Mackenzy Bernadeau.
In 2016, he held out during the offseason program and voluntary activities, while requesting a trade. Although the Cowboys received offers, they chose not to act on them and keep Leary for depth purposes. He was declared inactive in the first 2 games of the season. He saw extensive action at left guard in the third game against the Chicago Bears, after Collins was lost for the season with a torn ligament in his right big toe. He would stay as the starter at left guard for the rest of the season. His inclusion on the offensive line made the unit dominant, while helping rookie Ezekiel Elliott win the NFL rushing title. He suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns and he did not play in the last game of the season because of a back injury.
Denver Broncos
On March 9, 2017, Leary signed a 4 year, $36 million deal with the Denver Broncos with $20 million guaranteed.