NFL Scout Says Bears Quietly Pursuing a Leonard Floyd Replacement

Buzz around the Chicago Bears has been getting more and more interesting by the day. The quarterback talk started with Mitch Trubisky being the likely starter. Then it was expectation of competition. Now prominent insiders are starting to suggest they could just replace him outright. He's not alone too. A similar undercurrent is picking up on Leonard Floyd. The fifth-year linebacker is coming off a disappointing season, finishing with just three sacks in 16 games.

Set to make $13.222 million this season, most feel Chicago is not keen on paying that number. Especially with the number of needs they have to fill at other positions. This means they either could get him to sign an extension that lower the number or, more likely, cut or trade him.

A week ago, longtime NFL scout Dave-Te' Thomas revealed on the Scout's Honor podcast that the Bears had already spoken to quarterback Andy Dalton about a possible trade and restructuring of his contract. This time he shifted gears to Floyd. He confirmed reports by others that the linebacker might be on his way out and even took it a step further revealing their keen interest in a possible replacement.

"From what I'm hearing, Leonard Floyd could possibly be on the market again, (and) they can turn around even though they gave him the 5th year extension that they can put him out there even though they agreed to pay him $13.5 million. I hear that Cincinnati and Chicago are going after an ex-Atlanta Falcon defensive end in Vic Beasley. So if Chicago thinks that Floyd at $13.5 million is not worth it compared to bringing in Beasley at probably about $3-4 million, Floyd could be out there on the board."

Vic Beasley would be Leonard Floyd but cheaper

This is an interesting twist. Beasley is actually younger than Floyd despite being drafted a year earlier in 2015. He's also more proven in production. He has 37.5 sacks in 78 games to Floyd's 18.5 in 54. He finished with eight sacks last season including 6.5 in the final eight games. While nobody would call him a dominant pass rusher, he's certainly more accomplished at it than Floyd has been.

He's also never had a Khalil Mack across from him during his time in Atlanta. So there are reasons to think he'd be an upgrade at that #2 edge rusher spot. If Thomas is correct and his price tag is around $4 million, it's an absolute bargain that a GM like Ryan Pace would jump all over. He'd basically get the same player Floyd is with some added pass rush just for a third of the price.

It makes perfect sense. Especially if the Bears plan to be aggressive at the quarterback position in the next week or so.