Leonard Floyd has had almost three years to show the Chicago Bears their investment in him was worth it back in 2016. In that time, aside from a few flashes of brilliance, it’s been mostly disappointing. He suffered multiple concussions as a rookie that cost him four games. Last year he injured his knee and missed another six.
Now this season he broke his hand in the preseason and has gone eight games without a sack. It’s creeping up on almost a full calendar year since Floyd last sacked a quarterback. People are running out of patience for him. Former executive Louis Riddick even called for him to get benched in favor of second-year man Isaiah Irving.
It’s not looking good. The Bears will have a decision to make this coming offseason on his rookie contract. Do they pick up his fifth-year option? Do they simply cut him? The picture looks bleak for him. So what’s the problem? Dan Pompei went to the greatest pass rusher in Bears history for answers. His breakdown was not exactly comforting.
Richard Dent doesn’t see a bright future for Leonard Floyd given latest trend
Dent is one of three Hall of Fame players from the fabled 1985 Bears defense. He holds the franchise record with 134.5 sacks, far outpacing anybody else. This guy is the foremost expert at what it takes to get quarterbacks on the ground in Chicago. That’s why his impressions of Floyd can be considered…problematic…to say the least.
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“He plays straight up, and he’s a thin guy,” Dent said. “If you don’t bend and use leverage, you can’t get to the quarterback. He has to play with more pad level. It’s all about the pad level. You are never going to get to the quarterback if you aren’t bent over. He plays chest up.
Speed is what he’s trying to do, and you have to have technique with it,” Dent said. “I don’t see any technique outside of the speed. He’s got speed, but shit, if you’re not able to have some technique with the speed, you don’t have enough.”
What’s so unnerving about this is the fact it’s the same issues scouts and experts were concerned about since his rookie season. This means despite plenty of game experience and quality coaching, he still hasn’t corrected some of his most basic issues. This is often the sign of a player who may never truly get it.
Technique is what separates good players from just regular guys. Floyd is a tremendous athlete and can do a lot of things others can’t. Yet the same can be said for many guys in the NFL. Athleticism only takes you so far. Attitude, effort, and self-improvement bridge the gap to greatness. Floyd doesn’t seem to have enough of those three.
