Chicago Bears: Team needs Leonard Floyd to get going

The Chicago Bears defense has gotten off to a great start in 2017, but pass rusher Leonard Floyd has yet to join the party and the team needs him to.

The Chicago Bears defense has gotten off to a good start this season, holding three explosive offenses pretty much in check. The secondary has surprised many with their strong start, and Akiem Hicks has already earned every penny of his four-year contract extension.

One player who has yet to leave a mark, however, is Leonard Floyd. Many expected Floyd to have a breakout season, but unfortunately, that hasn’t happened yet. Through three games, Floyd has zero sacks and just seven tackles. He has an awful 41.2 grade from Pro Football Focus Edge as well.

Part of the problem is that Floyd has only rushed the passer on just over 50 percent of his snaps. Of his 170 total snaps, Floyd has 87 pass rushing snaps, 60 run defense snaps, and 23 coverage snaps, also per PFF Edge. Floyd has flashed his speed of the edge, but he just hasn’t been able to get to the quarterback. It’s never a good thing when Bryce Callahan has more sacks (one) than the team’s best pass rusher.

If there’s ever a time for Floyd to show up, it’s this Thursday against the Green Bay Packers. Pressuring Aaron Rodgers is always key, and the Bears need all hands-on deck if they want to accomplish this. Floyd has had success against the Packers, racking up two sacks and recovering a fumble for a touchdown in last year’s Thursday night game against them. The Packers have injuries across their offensive line, so Floyd could be in store for a big game.

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Every pass rusher has droughts, even the elite ones. Von Miller recently went through a five-game stretch in which he failed to record a sack, and J.J. Watt is still searching for his first sack of the 2017 season.

Floyd has tremendous talent, so it’s just a matter of time before he gets on a roll. This would be a great week for him to start.