Chicago Bears 2017 free agency profiles: Wide receivers

Michael Floyd, 26 (6-foot-3, 225 pounds)

I liked Floyd when he came out of Notre Dame in 2012. He went to the Arizona Cardinals with the 13th overall pick.

Floyd gives the quarterback a tall, big target. He has a large catch radius and has good hands. Durability is a plus for him as well. In his five seasons in the NFL, he missed just two games.

For his career, Floyd has 246 receptions for 3,781 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Floyd is not just a pass-catching receiver. He also blocks very well. In a game late in the season against the Miami Dolphins, he loaded a crunching block downfield that allowed a long touchdown to occur. The Bears’ reputation is for big hits, and they need to return to that.

There is a big red flag with Floyd, however. The Cardinals released him late in the season after an arrest for DUI. He also had one while attending Notre Dame. If he gets the help he needs he will be a tremendous asset.

After getting cut by the Cardinals, the New England Patriots quickly picked Floyd up. He’s been slowly picking up the playbook. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady praises the work he’s put in.

“It’s been great to have him,” Brady said in his weekly WEEI interview. “We needed him.

“We all know how hard it is to find a role as a receiver in our offense, and we’ve talked about so many players over the years that haven’t been able to accomplish that.

“To come in two weeks after being in the same system for four years, like he was, and then come in and play basically the whole game and make play after play . . . I think it just gives everyone confidence that he can establish a role for himself and that we can rely and count on him when it matters.”

Perhaps he may play a big part in the upcoming Super Bowl. In any case, he could play a big part in a resurgent Chicago Bears offense.