After he sustained a knee injury on Sunday in the game against the Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears placed their outside linebacker Leonard Floyd on injured reserve on Thursday. The team is still evaluating the timeline for his return. It was announced that Floyd will undergo surgery in the next seven days.
John Fox says Leonard Floyd will undergo surgery within the week to repair MCL/PCL injury.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 23, 2017
“I thought he made a step as far as production, as far as understanding the game; how he executed his position and his responsibility,” said Bears’ coach John Fox about Floyd. “I saw good growth, both mentally and physically. He’s one of our better players on defense no doubt and he’ll be missed. I thought he was having a good season and unfortunately, he got injured.“
Team’s defensive coordinator Vic Fangio added that the Bears will surely miss Floyd’s athleticism and his overall speed.
After an impressive showing during his time at the University of Georgia, Leonard Floyd was selected with the 9th overall pick in 2016 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. In his rookie season, he played 12 games and recorded 7.0 sacks, third best among all rookies. He continued with good performances in the 2017 NFL season, posting 33 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 9 tackles-for-loss and 1 fumble recovery in the first 10 games.
With Floyd out, the Bears find themselves in trouble and decided to promote linebacker Howard Jones from the practice squad. Jones previously played for Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“We’ve had him for a minute,” said Fox about Jones. “Really the biggest tape I’ve seen on him is when he was in Tampa in ’15. He had five sacks, played more of a defensive end. He was good on [special] teams. He has some pass rush ability. [Assistant coach] Brandon Staley has been working with him. He’s been on the practice squad, but he’s been schooled in what we’re doing and now he’s got his opportunity.“
