Chicago Bears exercise 5th-year option on LB Leonard Floyd

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears exercised their fifth-year option on linebacker Leonard Floyd on Wednesday, locking him up through the 2020 season.

The move was expected after Floyd played in all 16 regular-season games last season and recorded four sacks, a 19-yard interception return for a touchdown in Week 9 at Buffalo and then added a sack in the wild-card playoff loss to Philadelphia. The Bears were third in the NFL with 50 sacks and ranked No. 1 in a number of categories, including fewest rushing yards allowed (80.0 per game) and fewest points allowed (17.7).

Floyd was the No. 9 overall pick in 2016 and is entering his fourth year with the Bears. He was slowed by hamstring and calf issues and twice exited games because of concussions, fueling questions about his durability in an otherwise promising rookie season. He also had surgery on both shoulders at Georgia.

The following year, Floyd was placed on injured reserve because of a knee injury in November 2017. He has started 38 games and has 15.5 sacks, 23 tackles-for-loss and 32 quarterback hits overall.

The Bears also hired Brad Childress as senior offensive assistant, bringing back the former Minnesota Vikings head coach for a second stint in Chicago. Childress was a Bears consultant during the 2018 offseason and training camp, and before that spent five years in Kansas City alongside Matt Nagy, now the Chicago head coach.