Leonard Floyd no longer has cast on right hand and wrist
Good news: Leonard Floyd is getting healthier.
When news came out that Leonard Floyd broke his hand against the Denver Broncos in the preseason, Bears’ fans had that dreaded, “Here we go again” attitude. And who could blame them? After a mountain of injuries the past couple seasons, it felt like it was starting again.
But good news quickly surfaced that Floyd would be able to play with the broken hand and wasn’t expected to miss any time. Floyd was going to have to play with a large protective club or cast around his hand or wrist, that would be quite cumbersome, but not keep him out of games.
Through the first two games of the season, the Bears’ defense has been stellar, but Floyd hasn’t made a significant impact. He hasn’t been terrible, but it’s been fair to speculate that the club has hindered his ability to shed blocks and make plays.
Good news for Floyd and the Bears. His hand isn’t completely healed, but the unwieldy club is gone and he’s been downgraded to a brace that will allow him to use his fingers and actually grab with his hand.
Bears HC Matt Nagy: OLB Leonard Floyd (right hand) has progressed from the “q-tip” club to a brace that allows him use of his fingers. He’ll wear that Sunday vs. Cardinals.
— Rich Campbell (@Rich_Campbell) September 20, 2018
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That’s great news for the Bears, and not so much for Sam Bradford and the Arizona Cardinals. Through the first two games, the Bears’ pass rush has been relentless and they have tallied 10 sacks, leading the NFL.
If Floyd’s struggles (if you can call them that) were due to his club, if he’s ready to make more of an impact this week, the Bears’ defense, specifically their pass rush, could be elevated up another notch and that is not a good thing for an immobile QB like Bradford.
If the Bears defense continues to improve, that’s a scary thought for the rest of the NFL. Khalil Mack is still learning the playbook and getting into game shape, Roquan Smith is still developing as a rookie, and if Floyd is going to make more of an impact without the club, the last person I would want to be this weekend is Bradford.
If Bears fans are hopeful that perhaps Bradford might get knocked out of the game and we could see former Bears’ QB Mike Glennon play, don’t get your hopes up too much. Glennon has been the emergency QB in each of the first two games and Josh Rosen has been QB2 for both games.