Former Chicago Bears linebacker Leonard Floyd shines in Super Bowl

While the Chicago Bears did not play in Super Bowl LVI, one of their former players played a pivotal part to the Los Angeles Rams success against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night. The Rams defeated the Bengals 23-20 to win the Super Bowl and former Bears linebacker Leonard Floyd was one of the standouts for the Rams’ defensively.

Former Bears general manager Ryan Pace traded up in the 2016 NFL Draft to select Floyd with the 9th overall selection in the 2016 pace. The idea was that Floyd would become the anchor of the next great Bears’ defense and all signs pointed in that direction after his rookie season. During his rookie campaign, Floyd appeared in 12 games while compiling 33 combined tackles, 7 sacks, and 9 quarterback hits.

What followed for Floyd after his rookie season with the Bears was disappointment. Under the Bears, Floyd never really fully developed into the menacing 3-4 outside linebacker that the team envisioned when he was drafted and that would be why the decision was made by the team to not pick up his fifth-year option after 2019 season.

After his departure from the Bears, Floyd signed with the Los Angeles Rams and found immediate success. Floyd’s first season with the Rams in 2020 was a career-year for the outside linebacker as he had a total of 55 tackles, 10.5 sacks, and 19 quarterback hits. To prove that 2020 was not an anomaly, Floyd continued his success with the Rams this past season as he had 70 combined tackles, 9.5 sacks, and 18 quarterback hits. Meaning, in his two seasons with the Rams, Floyd had already compiled more sacks, 20, than he did with the Bears in his four seasons with the team, 18.

Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker Leonard Floyd is the latest example of how the Chicago Bears fail to develop players.

Floyd capped his 2021 season with an excellent performance against the Bengals in the Super Bowl. Floyd was a menace on Sunday night as he compiled 5 tackles and 1 sack while constantly reaching the backfield to pressure Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow. The lofty expectations that were bestowed upon Floyd upon his selection by the Bears in 2016 had finally reached fruition.

Floyd was not a bust. Instead, Floyd is just the latest example of how the Bears fail to develop their players. There was one common trend during the Matt Nagy era of the Bears, players were often put in a position where they were working against their strengths. Instead of utilizing Floyd as the menacing pass rusher that he has proven to be, the Bears often dropped the linebacker into pass coverage.

That is why new Bears head coach Matt Eberflus confirming that he will scheme his defense around the strengths of his players should be an encouraging sign. A sign that will lead to the Bears no longer missing on the development of players they’ve had in the building but been forced to watch turn into stars elsewhere.