Bears Bullets: Floyd’s Progress, LeBlanc’s Leap, Pressure Packages, Kwiatkoski’s Chance, More

Jun 15, 2017

Leonard Floyd’s concussion issues lingering into February was an unexpected storyline that came out of Wednesday’s mini-camp, but it’s good to see defensive coordinator Vic Fangio take control of the situation in a unique way:

To avoid concussions, Leonard Floyd working with #Bears DC Vic Fangio on "putting our hands and hat in the right places" on sled machine.
— Zach Zaidman (@ZachZaidman) June 14, 2017

Fangio taking a proactive approach toward preventing head trauma with proper football mechanics is a positive development, and I’m sure this is but a small fraction of the process in which Floyd will continue developing. The second-year outside linebacker is ahead of where he was at this time last year, so I’m sure he’ll take any positive steps he can as we head into training camp.

Dan Wiederer of the Tribune, Patrick Finley of the Sun-Times, and Hub Arkush of Pro Football Weekly also weighed in with some quality pieces on Floyd’s concussion battles that are worth your time.

Moving inside, Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times writes about Nick Kwiatkoski, a second-year player who will begin training camp as one of the starting inside linebackers. Kwiatkoski aims to take the next step in development and be the next man up for a team with a rich linebacker history. Not that Kwiatkoski is going to be *that* kind of player, but Fangio pointed him out at the end of last season as a player to be optimistic about moving forward. The Bears’ drafts of linebackers hasn’t been great recently, but Kwiatkoski plays with an edge that could possibly turn their fortunes around.

Dan Wiederer also writes about how Nick Kwiatkoski’s window of opportunity has opened, with the injury to Danny Trevathan keeping him from starting camp on time. Kwiatkoski and Christian Jones are in line for additional snaps and practice reps early in camp.

PFW’s Kevin Fishbain writes that cornerback Cre’von LeBlanc is looking to take a big leap after a surprisingly strong rookie season. LeBlanc, an undrafted free agent who signed with the Bears late in the preseason after being let go by the New England Patriots, was the Bears’ best cornerback in 2016. He even came up with one of the rare big plays created by a defense that was starved for playmakers and turnovers when he intercepted a Matthew Stafford pass and returned it for a touchdown. LeBlanc could start the season in the slot in the Bears’ re-vamped secondary, a place where he was very productive as a rookie.

The Athletic’s Dan Durkin heads to the film room to analyze how a defensive coordinator dials up safe pressure packages for the Bears’ defense. It’s a pretty deep dive, and because it’s a subscription site, I won’t go too deep into Durkin’s findings. But it’s worth sharing that because of the state of the secondary, the Bears will need to utilize these kinds of packages to get the most out of a defense that wants to be aggressive in rushing the passer.

Green Bay Packers safety HaHa Clinton-Dix has a good reason for why he is dropping his nickname this summer. That’s because the star safety is taking an internship with Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge Don Zuidmulder. Born Ha’Sean Clinton-Dix, the former Alabama product hopes to intern for 180 hours to gain six credit hours towards his undergraduate degree. Clinton-Dix is a criminal justice major.

Northern Illinois product Kenny Golladay is making good impressions at the Detroit Lions mini-camp. Jeff Seidel of the Detroit Free Press writes that the third-round pick is turning heads for the right reasons, and will soon be making a case to be the team’s third receiver this season.

Moving onto Minnesota Vikings camp, where the mood is a celebratory one as the team is inducting Randy Moss into its Ring Of Honor:

Randy Moss is going to be inducted into the Minnesota Vikings' Ring of Honor. https://t.co/ispRp8ShgE pic.twitter.com/l8OyuhZdei

— AP NFL (@AP_NFL) June 15, 2017

written by

Luis C. Medina

Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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