The San Francisco 49ers boast one of the most talented and consistently stingy defenses in the NFL, which makes mining potential ‘bounce back’ candidates for the upcoming season particularly difficult.
However, thanks to a change of scenery after signing with the 49ers following a 10.5-sack campaign with the Buffalo Bills in 2023, Leonard Floyd has one key area to improve and if he does, could emerge as San Francisco’s bounce-back star in 2024.
He has to miss fewer tackles.
How Leonard Floyd can Bounce Back for San Francisco 49ers
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Pro Football Focus points out that Floyd posted a whopping 36.7 missed-tackle rate last season, despite still getting to the quarterback and wreaking havoc.
Bradley Locker put together his list of the top breakout candidates for every team across the league this season, including a compelling case for Floyd as the 49ers’ selection.
“Floyd’s pressure data was almost identical to the year before,” Locker points out for PFF. “But his overall grade came out to just 58.7. The primary reason was tackling, as he missed a whopping 36.7% of tackle attempts, easily the highest rate among any defensive player with 400 or more snaps.
“It’s hard to think that Floyd would whiff on such a preposterous number of tackles for another straight year, and if his pressure rates stay level, that should automatically translate to a better season. Plus, with San Francisco losing Chase Young, the nine-year veteran should be in the driver’s seat to start next to Nick Bosa.”
Floyd seeing extended reps in one of the most explosive front-sevens that he has been part of in his career, could be a recipe to unlock his star power.
After all, Floyd has already collected 58 sacks through his first eight seasons, and last season capped the 2023 campaign with 41 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.
49ers general manager John Lynch has built a juggernaut on both sides of the football, capable of making a legitimate Super Bowl run, but, Floyd may be a sneaky valuable addition this offseason.
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