Chicago Bears: Leonard Floyd needs a breakout 2018 season
Leonard Floyd came to the Chicago Bears with great hopes. While he showed flashes of his ability, he needs to put it together and stay healthy.
The Chicago Bears drafted Leonard Floyd with the ninth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Just as Roquan Smith (No. 8 overall this season) has a lot of expectations on his shoulder as a linebacker, Floyd has his own as an edge rusher.
Floyd has freakish athleticism that helps him blow by offensive linemen or slip past them. He also has the speed to catch up to running backs. If he needs to drop back and cover, he’ll have no problem doing that.
You can see why general manager Ryan Pace fell in love with Floyd — he has the ability to become one of the best edge rushers in the NFL.
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Floyd showed some flashes of his abilities. In a five-game stretch in the middle of his rookie season, he recorded 6.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and a safety. In a four-game stretch in 2017, he had four sacks and another safety.
Those plays were just that — flashes. Aside from those 6.5 sacks in that stretch in 2016, he had just 0.5 more. In 2017, aside from those four sacks in four games, he also had just 0.5 more.
Injuries played a part in Floyd’s inconsistencies. He missed 10 games in his two seasons in Chicago. Spending that much time on the sidelines prevents Floyd from helping the Bears win games.
Floyd is the man now
In his first two seasons, Floyd had veteran help. Pernell McPhee, Willie Young, and Lamarr Houston were veterans who helped him. Now, though, he is the main man. Aaron Lynch, who has struggled over the past few seasons, is trying to resurrect his career; Sam Acho is just a role player, and Kylie Fitts is just a rookie.
That means Floyd needs to be a leader. He needs to be on the field leading by example. Also, he needs to be more consistent in his play. Don’t just go through a stretch playing like a madman then disappear for other stretches.
Danny Trevathan is the leader of the inside linebackers. Floyd needs to be the leader of the outside guys. Akiem Hicks, the unofficial spokesman for the defense, expects to have a top-five defense, per ESPN:
"“I would say I think our defense has a good foundation and just keep building on that and getting better. [We were a] top-10 [defense] last year, looking for top five [in 2018].”"
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In order for that to happen, Floyd needs to spend a lot more time on the field, creating havoc on a consistent basis. If he can lead the pass rushers, his teammates follow suit. When that happens, opposing quarterbacks and running backs can again expect long days when they play the Chicago Bears defense.