Tag: Leonard Floyd

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield addresses the biggest problem the 49ers present

Look for Liam Coen to scheme in some passing plays that get the ball out quicker than normal as a result.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking to get above .500 on Sunday when they snap their losing streak to the San Francisco 49ers. Baker Mayfield spoke to the media on Wednesday about the importance of the game and the issues their defense presents them.

“Pass rush – it starts up front. Obviously, [Nick] Bosa, unbelievable player, [we] have to know where he’s at and then you know, they brought in Leonard Floyd who’s a great player as well that has his own production. The way they rush the passer, they’re jetting up field, that’s their system – they teach those guys to rush straight up field and so [we] have to know that, have to be able to protect up front and get the ball out. . .”

Nick Bosa and Leonard Floyd have a combined 5.5 sacks on the season and 44 quarterback hurries between them. They generate a lot of pressure that can cause problems for the Bucs offense.

Look for Liam Coen to scheme in some passing plays that get the ball out quicker than normal as a result.

49ers have one glaring need to address at NFL trade deadline

The trade deadline is just a couple weeks away and there’s a clear need the 49ers need to address.

The NFL trade deadline is rapidly approaching and the San Francisco 49ers have a handful of positions they could address via the trade market. However, there’s one clear need they should aim to cross off first.

Before the trade deadline passes on November 5 at 1:00pm Pacific Time, the 49ers should add at least one additional edge rusher. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they added multiple the way they did last year when they acquired Randy Gregory from the Broncos and Chase Young from the Commanders.

There are arguments to be made that linebacker is a position of need. Safety could become an issue, and offensive line help is something every team needs.

An injury could change the entire calculus at the deadline for the 49ers, but going into Week 7 it’s clear that defensive end help is at the top of their list of needs.

This season the 49ers have registered only 13.0 sacks. Only 7.0 of those have come from defensive ends, including 3.0 from Nick Bosa, 2.0 from Leonard Floyd and 2.0 from Sam Okuayinonu. But even those sack totals are a little misleading.

Bosa has racked up 35 pressures and has a 20.2 percent pass rush win rate per Pro Football Focus. That’s the seventh-highest rate in the NFL among players with at least 100 pass rush snaps.

Floyd has accounted for 20 pressures, but his win rate is just 10.1 percent. Okuayinonu has nine pressures and a 14.8 percent pass rush win rate.

Yetur Gross-Matos wasn’t having a ton of success due in part to a knee injury that wound up landing him on IR. He had just five pressures and a paltry 10.4 percent win rate.

Robert Beal has yet to register a pressure in 22 pass rush reps.

It’s not a deep group for a club that built a defense where the pass rush is supposed to be the tip of the spear. They’ve had to make some adjustments with a higher blitz rate, and some strong play in the secondary has made up at times for a lack of pass rush. That unit cannot stay as presently assembled though or eventually the wheels are going to fall off.

Perhaps the 49ers make multiple additions. Perhaps they get hyper aggressive and go after a big name that comes available as teams fall further out of the playoff hunt. Either way, they need to make a trade to bolster their DE depth by the trade deadline or they may see their season come to an end sooner than they’re expecting.

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49ers need more from biggest offseason free agent signing

The spotlight is officially on the #49ers’ biggest offseason addition.

The San Francisco 49ers had a glaring problem on defense. That problem was exacerbated Sunday when star defensive tackle Javon Hargrave suffered a partially torn triceps that will require season-ending surgery.

Rushing the passer is something the 49ers have established as a foundation of their defensive success. It’s why they spent the No. 2 overall pick on defensive end Nick Bosa in 2019, and it’s why they’ve utilized a bevy of resources along the defensive line throughout the tenures of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.

That part of their defense is off to a slow start in 2024, and now improvement is a steep uphill climb without Hargrave.

One way they can improve is by simply getting more out of defensive end Leonard Floyd who signed a two-year, $20 million contract with $12 million guaranteed this offseason.

Floyd had a sack and four pressures in Week 1 according to Pro Football Focus. He’s been silent since then. PFF has him down for just one pressure, no sacks and no quarterback hits over the last two games.

That’s not going to cut it for a player some deemed as the best edge rusher the 49ers have had opposite Bosa.

While Floyd has gotten off to a slow start, there’s reason for optimism that he’ll bounce back. Throughout his career there are a slew of two and three game stretches where he’ll be ostensibly absent from the pass rush before breaking out with big numbers.

The problem for the 49ers is they can’t afford for Floyd to go missing. They’re relying heavily on him to provide pressure off the edge across from Bosa. That reliance only increases with Hargrave’s injury.

A consistently good Floyd who is racking up 9.5 or 10.0 sacks would be a tremendous boost for the 49ers’ struggling defense. The sooner he breaks out of his slump and turns into that player, the better.

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49ers big free agent DE comes up with 1st sack

Leonard Floyd registered his first sack as a member of the 49ers on Monday Night Football against the Aaron Rodgers and the Jets.

One of the San Francisco 49ers’ top free agent signings was veteran pass rusher Leonard Floyd. In his first game in red and gold, Floyd got on the board with an impact play in the second half.

In a back-and-forth defensive battle from the start, Floyd ended a Jets drive with a sack against Aaron Rodgers. With Nick Bosa looming in the backfield, Floyd also blew by the Jets offensive line with a stunt up the middle to clean up Rodgers for a big loss on third down.

Via @49ers on Twitter:

As a member of the Buffalo Bills last season, the nine-year veteran defensive end racked up 10.5 sacks.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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2 49ers WRs, potential starting CB return to practice after preseason ends

More good injury news for the 49ers:

The San Francisco 49ers returned to practice Monday after wrapping up their three-game preseason slate Friday night.

Monday marks the final practice before Tuesday’s 1:00pm Pacific Time deadline for rosters to be cut from 90 to 53 players. San Francisco let go of a handful of players Monday morning with no surprises in the first group of cuts.

In some good news for the 49ers, a handful of key players returned for at least part of Monday’s session.

ESPN’s Nick Wagoner reported wide receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings were on hand for individual drills. Pearsall also got into the team portion of Monday’s practice. Cornerback Isaac Yiadom was also in the mix for individual work.

Wagoner also noted running back Christian McCaffrey, defensive end Leonard Floyd and left guard Aaron Banks all did work on a side field, but weren’t involved in team or individual drills.

Pearsall was in a blue non-contact jersey during practice as he works his way back from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for virtually the entire preseason. He also dealt with a hamstring issue that kept him out of the early part of camp. His return to Monday’s session is a good sign for his availability in Week 1.

Jennings was held out of the last couple of preseason games because of an oblique injury. He figures to slot in as the third wide receiver behind Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. If Aiyuk winds up missing any time or getting traded, Jennings is the first option to elevate to the No. 2 WR spot.

Yiadom was working through an ankle injury throughout the preseason. He’s a potential starter in the secondary along with Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir. The coaching staff will have to decide whether Yiadom will start outside with Lenoir in the slot, or if rookie Renardo Green will be the slot corner with Lenoir and Ward manning the outside. Who starts may be determined by Yiadom’s health by the time Week 1 rolls around.

Injuries have been hard on the 49ers throughout the preseason. That they’re getting key players back before Week 1 begins in earnest next Thursday is a good sign that things are trending the right way for San Francisco in time for the games that count.

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49ers get good injury news on 2 key defensive ends

The 49ers got some decent injury news on their 2 DEs.

The San Francisco 49ers avoided a nightmare scenario in their preseason finale.

In a game where the ultimate goal was staying healthy, the 49ers lost two of their top three defensive ends in the first quarter to injury. Yetur Gross-Matos went down first, then Leonard Floyd went down not long afterward.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game both players suffered knee sprains. An additional update Sunday from Shanahan said Floyd is day-to-day, and Gross-Matos is week-to-week with their knee injuries.

It sounds like Floyd should be ready to suit up on Sept. 9 for the season opener. However, Gross-Matos’ status is less certain. Shanahan said the team doesn’t anticipate needing to put him on IR, and that there’s some hope he’ll be able to practice in the week leading up to the opener.

Ultimately the 49ers dodged a catastrophe with neither player suffering significant injuries. Even a scenario where one of the pair missed multiple weeks would have put San Francisco in a precarious spot. Their depth at the defensive end spot isn’t good, and they’re relying heavily on Floyd and Gross-Matos this season. Removing one of them from the rotation forces the 49ers to scrape the bottom of an already shallow barrel at the pass rushing spot.

The 49ers open their regular season on Monday Night Football against the New York Jets to close out Week 1.

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2 injuries in preseason finale could be major problem for 49ers

Uh oh…

The San Francisco 49ers’ main goal of the preseason is to get through it without any major injuries.

That’s a key reason why the club didn’t feature its starters until the preseason finale Friday night against the Las Vegas Raiders. Unfortunately for San Francisco, two first-quarter injuries could make their biggest fear a reality.

When the second quarter started, the team announced defensive ends Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos are questionable to return with knee injuries.

It’s unclear when Gross-Matos got hurt. Floyd went down late in the first quarter when defensive tackle Maliek Collins fell onto his leg as both players went to the ground. The latter was back on the sideline after briefly going to the locker room.

Injuries to any player would have been bad. There’s an extra layer of dread that comes with injuries on the defensive line.

That unit doesn’t have the same depth they’ve had in the past, particularly at defensive end. Nick Bosa sat out Friday’s game. Floyd figured to be the starter opposite Bosa, and Gross-Matos was in line to play a significant role as a versatile DL who played on the end and at tackle.

Behind them the group is exceedingly thin with second-year DE Robert Beal Jr. the main contender for snaps in the rotation. After Beal it’s Alex Barrett, Sam Okuayinonu and Jonathan Garvin. That trio isn’t likely to provide nearly enough support to make up for any absence for Floyd and Gross-Matos.

The good news for the 49ers is they have a shade over two weeks until the regular-season opener. Both players have been available throughout camp so they should be able to hit the ground running if they can suit up for Week 1.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan after the game told reporters both players suffered knee sprains. Floyd and Gross-Matos are scheduled for MRIs Saturday.

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Big problem brewing at one of 49ers most important position groups

The 49ers have a problem at a key position.

The San Francisco 49ers might have a problem in one of their key position groups.

During the John Lynch-Kyle Shanahan tenure, the 49ers have built their defense from front to back. That means they’ve prioritized a stout defensive front that gets after the quarterback. Everything else with their defense falls into place after that.

While the club has improved in the secondary and frequently rolls out the best linebacker duo in the NFL, their defensive line is in a tough spot heading into the second week of the preseason.

Depth has been one of the calling cards for their good defensive lines. They’re not only a top-heavy group with players like Nick Bosa and Javon Hargrave, but they’ve consistently had good depth behind their starting units.

Last season their depth struggled. They made two in-season trades for defensive ends and never found enough quality to go behind Hargrave and his fellow defensive tackle Arik Armstead. As a result, the 49ers pass rush wasn’t as impactful as we’re used to seeing and their run defense faltered down the stretch.

This offseason they shuffled things up.

Armstead was released. In his place the 49ers added free agent DT Jordan Elliott, and traded for former Houston Texans DT Maliek Collins.

At defensive end Randy Gregory and Chase Young both left in free agency, clearing the way for free agent additions Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos.

A starting group of Floyd, Bosa, Hargrave and Collins is solid. Gross-Matos is a versatile reserve, and Elliott is putting together a nice camp. Former undrafted free agent Kevin Givens also figures to be in the rotation.

Outside of that, things are dicey for the 49ers. They have enough bodies at defensive tackle that they should be able to find a good rotation, even after a knee injury that will sideline DT Kalia Davis for half the season. Defensive end is a different story.

Drake Jackson was supposed to be a key role player, but his season is already over due to his ongoing recovery from offseason surgery. Second-year DE Robert Beal Jr. should have plenty of opportunities after playing in just four games as a rookie. He played 51 total snaps in the 49ers’ preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans and had a couple of run stops, but he didn’t post a pressure in 24 pass rushing snaps according to Pro Football Focus.

The only DE that did post a pressure for the 49ers against the Titans was veteran Alex Barrett who has been a practice squad staple the last four years. Barrett doesn’t figure to be in the team’s plans beyond internal depth.

Recently-signed DE Jonathan Garvin had an okay game after not getting much time to practice. Garvin was a seventh-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2020. He had 1.5 sacks in 38 games with the Packers before his release in 2023. His track record doesn’t indicate he’ll be a major factor for the 49ers this year.

This is a vital group for the 49ers and they don’t have a ton of depth to withstand either a subpar showing or an injury. Their margin for error is razor thin at a position they’ve prioritized consistently during the Lynch-Shanahan era. Don’t be surprised if there’s a trade in the works either before the season or during the season to improve that unit.

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BIlls’ Greg Rousseau named ‘player who could breakout in 2024’

#BIlls’ Greg Rousseau named ‘player who could breakout in 2024’

Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau has been solid during his tenure in Buffalo. In four years, he has consistently improved and entrenched himself as an integral part of the Bills defensive line.

Last season, Rousseau led the Bills defensive ends in snap percentage, seeing 54.6 percent of the snaps.

The Bills moved on from Leonard Floyd, who led Buffalo with 10.5 sacks last year. In addition, Von Miller is coming off his worst season as a pro, registering only three tackles and no sacks.

Thus, Rousseau will have greater responsibility as he enters his fourth professional season. The Miami product should have more opportunities to play in a variety of situations for Buffalo’s defense in the fall.

With this in mind, the 33rd Team’ sees Rousseau as a defensive player who could break out in the 2024 season.

The analysis highlights that even though Rousseau’s sack total dropped during the past two campaigns, the end has shown improvements in other aspects of his game:

Rousseau was a much better player in 2023 as he created more pressures (68) and improved significantly as a run defender. During the 2022 season, Rousseau was just an average run defender who teams would run toward when possible. But in 2023, he became an above-average run player, finishing the season with 19 stops. His improvement as a run defender has been a steady one despite it being a weakness coming out of college. Now, he is an every-down player who can thrive in any situation.

In addition, Rousseau was on par with some of the league’s best in different metrics. Rousseau’s pass-win rate was 16.0 percent last year, just behind Pittsburgh’s superstar TJ Watt (16.9 percent). Rousseau was slightly ahead of Danielle Hunter (15.7 percent) and Maxx Crosby (15.5) percent. Mosher posits that if Rousseau can improve this number, a double-digit sack season may be on the horizon.

Rousseau enters the season as Buffalo’s No. 1 defensive end. He has a great deal of experience on the field, taking starting snaps early in his career. The 33rd Team sees things turning out well for Rousseau’s development this year:

Rousseau just turned 24 and already has three seasons under his belt with nearly 2,000 snaps played. But going into Year 4, the expectations are even higher. The Bills need Rousseau to be a star on the edge and be a consistent pass rusher in big games. And given his trajectory, it’s not hard to believe that it will happen given his rapid improvement.

Rousseau has started all 46 games he has played in a Buffalo uniform. Over three seasons, he has recorded 129 total tackles, 42 quarterback hits, 17 sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception.

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Can 49ers put Leonard Floyd in a Dee Ford type of role?

The 49ers have the blueprint for how to maximize DE Leonard Floyd.

The 49ers may have to reconsider what Leonard Floyd’s role is going to be for them in 2024 if they believe he can be an every-down player for them at this point in his career. The good news is there’s a blueprint of their own they can follow to maximize their veteran defensive lineman.

Floyd last season for the Bills missed a whopping 37 percent of his tackles according to Pro Football Focus. That was by far the highest missed tackle rate of his career.

Buffalo primarily used Floyd on passing downs, which led to him playing a 576 total snaps and 167 snaps against the run. The total snaps were his fewest since 2018, while the run snaps were his fewest ever. This is a pattern the 49ers should be following this season.

It’s true that San Francisco doesn’t have a ton of great edge depth alongside Nick Bosa. Floyd is by most measures their second-best defensive end and he’ll probably start every game. Finding a more reliable tackler and edge setter in the run game to allow Floyd to be more of a pass rush specialist will be crucial.

The 49ers employed this strategy in 2019 with edge rusher Dee Ford. When Ford was healthy he was a sub-package defender in passing situations with Arik Armstead working in as the defensive end in base packages for run downs. Armstead would kick inside for passing downs and Ford would come in and wreak havoc off the edge.

While Floyd is plenty qualified to play the Ford role in this instance, the 49ers don’t have a player the caliber of Armstead to line up on the edge now that Armstead left to join the Jaguars this offseason.

That’s where players like Drake Jackson, Robert Beal Jr. and Yetur Gross-Matos can have their biggest impact. Jackson and Beal are still unproven, but Gross-Matos had good success as a run defender in the second half of last season with the Panthers. That lends some credence to the idea he could line up in the Armstead role where he is outside in base packages with Leonard working as a sub-package rusher.

Of course, there’s a chance the 49ers believe Floyd’s rough tackling year last year was an anomaly. San Francisco is good enough in the second level to provide more support for their defensive line and their range at linebacker takes pressure off their edge rushers to defend a lot in space. San Francisco may see Floyd as an every-down player for them given their lack of proven depth on the roster.

It’s clear at this point though the ideal scenario for the 49ers is one where another DE shines enough as a run defender to play that spot in run situations, allowing Floyd to take on that primary pass rush role. If they’re running into a scenario where Floyd is on the field for all three downs, it means something elsewhere on the roster has gone terribly wrong.

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