Leonard Floyd Signs With Bills, Why Bears Free Agent Deal Was Unlikely

Why Leonard Floyd may not have fit with Bears originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Take a free agent pass rusher off the board for potential Bears signings. According to Ian Rapoport, Leonard Floyd is headed to the Buffalo Bills.

The Bears drafted Floyd with the No. 9 pick of the 2016 draft. He never lived up to his top-10 pick billing and the Bears cut him ahead of the 2020 season. From there, Floyd joined the Rams and began to flourish. After notching just 18.5 sacks in four seasons for the Bears, Floyd erupted for 29 sacks in three seasons for the Rams.

The Bears could use that type of pass rush production this year, considering they’re coming off an NFL-worst 20 sack campaign. There are reasons to believe Floyd wouldn’t have fit in the Bears defense. He’s played outside linebacker over his career, but the Bears call for their pass rushers to line up as defensive ends. There are also reasons to believe Floyd would not want to return to Chicago. For one, they’re the team that cut him after four seasons. Further, they’re rebuilding, while the Bills are set to compete for Super Bowls now. It helps that Floyd has the opportunity to rejoin Von Miller in Buffalo. The duo was dominant in Los Angeles and their three combined sacks in Super Bowl 56 helped deliver the Lombardi Trophy to the Rams.

The Bears defensive end group now includes Trevis Gipson, DeMarcus Walker, Rasheem Green, Dominique Robinson, Jalen Harris and D'Anthony Jones.

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