A GRADE PLAYER
Positive feedback has boosted rookie outside linebacker Floyd’s confidence
Outside linebacker Leonard Floyd feels comfortable after two preseason games and claims he has the progress report to back it up. “I’ve had great grades,” he said. The all- important third preseason game Saturday against the Chiefs will be the most important quiz of Floyd’s fledgling NFL career.
Thus far, he’s getting passing pass- rush grades. Whether the Bears’ coaches are judging their first- round pick on a curve — his performance against backups shouldn’t carry the same weight as when he faces starters — Floyd certainly hasn’t been overpowered or overmatched.
That’s progress in itself. After failing to rack up big sack numbers at Georgia and being listed at 6- 4, 244 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine, Floyd was a polarizing prospect even before the Bears traded up to draft him No. 9 overall.
“My body’s been holding up pretty well,” Floyd said Tuesday.
Positive feedback has boosted his confidence. Floyd, who turns 24 in two weeks, already believes he belongs.
“Even though it’s a good grade,” Floyd said, “I always want my grade to be better than what it was. I’m going to keep pushing and fighting to get better.”
Floyd returned to practice after sitting Sunday with what coach John Fox called a slight hamstring injury. He was asked if he had a signature moment Thursday against the Patriots — perhaps a shared sack with Jonathan Bullard, the first for either player.
“I can’t quite remember,” he said. “I’m really focused on the Chiefs right now. I kinda forgot about most of the plays from that past game.”
The Bears figure to get a long look at him with Pernell McPhee still sidelined with knee problems. If Floyd does well, concerns about McPhee’s availability — or, at least, his readiness to play a full game after not participating in a live snap since Jan. 3 — are considerably mitigated.
McPhee’s durability poses a problem for the Bears. Just a year removed from being their big- money free- agent acquisition, McPhee nursed a knee problem in the second half last season and had arthroscopic surgery in February. He missed Games 9 and 13 and didn’t play more than 56 percent of the defensive snaps at any point after the eighth game.
McPhee will have to monitor his knees the rest of his career, and the Bears have vowed to be smart about it. Expecting McPhee to play a full game — or anything close to that — in Week 1 could prove foolish.
The game against Kansas City also could be the last time Floyd is on the field without McPhee. If McPhee is the one who draws extra offensive attention in the regular season, then this game might be the last opportunity to get a true appraisal of Floyd’s talent.
He’ll get his chance: Floyd figures to get even more snaps after playing 30 in the first game and 38 against the Patriots.
“I was more comfortable because I’d played,” he said. “And I’m looking forward to being even more comfortable this third game.”
Pass coverage hasn’t been a problem, he said. Floyd was solid in college and has simply focused on watching the same keys as the Bears’ safeties and inside linebackers.
His body feels good, too. He said he’s about five pounds away from a goal he refused to reveal; the Bears list him at 240. He still sets a timer on his phone to remind him to eat.
“Gotta keep eating, man,” he said. “Make sure I don’t skip a meal.”
That weight will benefit Floyd during the rigors of his first season.
His concerns, though, don’t extend past Saturday.
“I feel like every game is a test,” he said. “And I gotta make sure I’m ready to go.”