It wasn’t all good news for the Chicago Bears following their 24-23 win over the Denver Broncos. Starting outside linebacker Leonard Floyd suffered a broken right hand.
The Chicago Bears have been relatively lucky so far this preseason by avoiding major injuries to front-line players, even with the extra added Hall of Fame bonus game. That luck ended on Saturday night when outside linebacker and primary pass rusher Leonard Floyd suffered a broken hand.
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Head coach Matt Nagy broke the news to the media in his Monday presser, stating that Floyd had undergone surgery on Sunday to repair damage to a broken index and middle finger on his right hand. It is not expected that he’ll be fully recovered, but the Bears remain optimistic that he could still play in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers. That sounds to me like he’ll be wearing a cast or fitted with some sort of the club.
Floyd suffered the injury in the first half when he was cut blocked and put his hands down to break his fall. He left the game and it didn’t seem to be anything too major.
Of course a couple of broken fingers don’t sound too severe, but when you’re talking about an outside linebacker, winning the hand battles and using your hands to secure a tackle is critical. An injury is considered minor when it’s someone else. Wiping your butt is tough when your dominant hand is injured, so you can imagine what it would be like trying to shed blocks or grab an opposing jersey.
The Floyd injury further exposes a weak spot in the Bears roster. Even with a fully healthy Floyd, a lot of experts were concerned about the Bears pass rush. Besides Floyd, the Bears signed Aaron Lynch this offseason, but he hasn’t had a meaningful snap yet this preseason. The Bears also have veterans Sam Acho and Kasim Edebali, second-year pro Isaiah Irving and rookie Kylie Fitts all vying for time.
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You have to wonder whether this injury puts some added pressure on Ryan Pace to complete a trade, like the rumored Khalil Mack or a Shane Ray trades. Stay tuned to Bear Goggles On for any updates.