Bears' Fangio wants to see more from Floyd
Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio didn't get to see enough of 2015 first-round draft pick Leonard Floyd because of injuries, but he saw enough to be excited about the possibilities for 2017.
"He's got a foundation of a year behind him, (but) he was only available about half the time last year," Fangio said of the lanky outside linebacker. "He had a bunch of those little injuries (calf, neck, hamstring and two concussions), that interrupted his progress throughout the season. Hopefully with the year under his belt, getting in better shape, better condition, (he can) take off. If he stays healthy, I feel good about him."
Despite playing barely more than half the defensive snaps (538), Floyd tied for second on the team with 7 sacks, including 6½ in Games 7-12.
"He had a nice stretch there ... where he was practicing and playing, and you could see him coming," Fangio said. "Then he got dinged twice in the last four games and it interrupted again."
The waiting game:
On the offensive side, a full season from wide receiver Kevin White, the 2015 first-round draft pick, would provide a much-needed boost.
White missed all of his rookie season following right shin surgery and all but the first four games last season with a fractured left fibula and high ankle sprain. So the Bears are still waiting for him to turn potential into production.
"He looks very healthy," coach John Fox said. "With the things that we've done, I'm hoping he can remain healthy. There's been a bugaboo in his career thus far, and frustration. He's a tireless worker, and I think he's having a great off-season."
White caught 19 passes for 187 yards before his injury.
"Obviously he hasn't played as much football as we would've liked him to play," offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said. "He's done a good job out here in the off-season program right now and it really is as simple as learning the new wrinkles we've put in.
"You (still) see the traits that we drafted him (for)."
Looking for improvement:
Last year's third-round pick, defensive end Jonathan Bullard, played just 296 snaps, less than a third of the defensive plays, and he was 14th on the team with 24 tackles in addition to 1 sack.
Better things are expected this year, although Bullard could face increased competition for playing time after the off-season additions of veterans Jarvis Jenkins and Jaye Howard.
"Jon didn't play a whole lot last year," defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. "You always look for a lot of improvement from Year One to Year Two.
"I think he's better prepared now to play in the trenches of the NFL than he was last year. He's gotten a little bit bigger. He understands more of what's expected of him. I don't think he was quite ready for that last year, both physically (and) mentally. Emotionally, I think he's more ready."
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