Chicago Bears: It’s Leonard Floyd’s time to shine

When you think you are strong, go get stronger

Watching tape on Leonard Floyd is both exciting and frustrating. As previously mentioned, Floyd is not the most consistent pass rusher in the NFL. When he is on though, he is on. This is why his numbers come in spurts.

The numbers are not everything though. Floyd is a constant disruption in the backfield when assigned to rush the quarterback. I am excited to see what he can do in a more aggressive defense under Chuck Pagano. I would not expect as many schemes where Floyd or Khalil Mack are dropping back in coverage as they did under Vic Fangio.

Floyd has excellent speed off the edge. He has an amazing bend too that allows him to keep driving inside around the outside and reach the quarterback. These close calls might not be sacks or hits on the quarterback, but the pressure in the backfield disrupts the timing of the plays and helps lead to positive plays for the Bears defense.

With Floyd’s burst, one would think he has limited techniques. That is not the case though. Floyd will come at a blocker with a multitude of moves. One play he might try to rush past you. The next he might rush and cut back inside. He has a decent dip move followed by an arm swing that allows him to rip past the lineman.

Floyd also does not quit on plays. He is constantly moving. He knows his assignments well and contains when necessary, but he also has great sideline-to-sideline speed allowing him to catch ball carriers from all over the field. Floyd may never record 10-plus sacks consistently, but he is the type of hard-working defender every defense needs.

I am predicting 12 sacks for Floyd in 2019. The key will be that he plays relatively healthy for the full 16-game season. If he is healthy all year, watch out quarterbacks.