How the 49ers Will Use Leonard Floyd in their Wide 9 Defensive Scheme

Floyd should greatly enhance the 49ers' pass rush on third downs, because he can line up in lots of different spots and even drop into coverage if the 49ers want to run exotic pressure schemes.

Sep 24, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd (56) and Bills / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Leonard Floyd is an awkward fit for the 49ers.

They run a 4-3 scheme with two defensive ends who line up in three-point stances. That means they have their hand in the dirt. Floyd is a 3-4 outside linebacker who typically lines up in a two-point stance, which means he doesn't have his hand in the dirt. He stands straight up.

Asking him to become a 4-3 defensive end at 32 years old seems like a bad idea. He doesn't have experience playing the position, and defending the run will be a big issue for him because he's too small to play the position. That's why he has been an outside linebacker his entire career before he signed with the 49ers this offseason.

Floyd should greatly enhance the 49ers' pass rush on third downs, because he can line up in lots of different spots and even drop into coverage if the 49ers want to run exotic pressure schemes. But he will not help their run defense on first and second down, and run defense was a major problem for the 49ers last season.

That's why I don't expect Floyd to start for the 49ers. Instead, I expect Yetur Gross-Matos to start at defensive end opposite Nick Bosa, because Gross-Matos is much bigger and better against the run than Floyd. Starting Gross-Matos makes sense. He and Floyd should be a platoon and they should split playing time fairly evenly.

And when it's time to rush the quarterback, Floyd needs to produce as he has the past four seasons. Because if he falls off, the next man up is Drake Jackson, who looks like a bust.