Unraveling the Reasons Behind Chicago Bears' Lack of Interest in Leonard Floyd

But Why the Curious Case of the Bears' Disinterest in Leonard Floyd?
When Floyd ended up signing with the Buffalo Bills, it could have been easy to conclude that he took a lesser pay to join a contending team. Yet, it's equally plausible that the Bears simply didn't show interest. And while to an everyday fan, a team's base formation might seem inconsequential given the frequent deployment of the nickel, it's worth noting that coaching staffs and front offices still prize certain skills for specific schemes.

Take Leonard Floyd, for example. He shines as a 3-4 rusher, outperforming his capabilities as a 4-3 end. This is largely due to his agility on his feet and dynamic movement off the ball. These traits enable him to baffle pass blockers, affording him unrestricted rush lanes on stunts, twists, and even delayed blitzes. Beyond that, he provides added value to the coverage unit.

However, 4-3 defenders tend to be larger and longer, preferring to play with their hands in the dirt. They're not as mobile and exhibit stronger resistance against the run, marking a different set of demands for each scheme.

Under Vic Fangio's reign, when the Bears drafted Floyd, they implemented a 3-4 base. Contrastingly, Matt Eberflus, the current Bears' leader, prefers a 4-3 formation. His preference for edge rushers leans towards those who rely less on speed and more on sheer power to thrust the pocket. Eberflus's strategy involves utilizing agile interior players to stretch the pocket outward while having long-armed edge rushers to contain and clean up any messes.

And Leonard Floyd? He doesn't fit this blueprint. With a weight of just 245 pounds, Floyd's physique doesn't match the profile Eberflus seems to seek in his edge rushers. For comparison, consider the Bears' Trevis Gipson, who weighs 263 pounds, or Robinson, who, after adding 10-15 pounds before last season, weighed in at 253 pounds.

The Bears went on to sign both DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green, each weighing 280 pounds, indicating a clear shift in Eberflus's desired edge rusher physique.

It's also worth noting that none of the Bears' edge rushers typically drop into coverage. As a rookie, under a different coaching regime, Gipson dropped into coverage just 4.7% of the time. That figure decreased to 2.3% last year under Eberflus. Dominique Robinson only dropped into coverage for 2.6% of his snaps.

On the other hand, Leonard Floyd has logged 687 snaps in coverage, including 70 from last year. His career rate stands at 11.5%, with last season's rate at 8.5%. Even when he rushed more and dropped less, he was still in coverage about four times more often than what Eberflus would typically expect from his linemen.

Fans might be quick to pair the top free agent edge rusher with the Bears, who need reinforcement in that area. However, the nuances such as scheme fit, utilization, and defensive role paint a picture that Leonard Floyd wasn't the missing piece to the Bears' puzzle. His skill set as an edge rusher simply doesn't align with the Bears' expectations for the position.