How Staley’s endorsement of Floyd sold the 49ers’ Kocurek as a free agent originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA – Leonard Floyd, who signed a Two-year contract with the 49ers worth $20 million This offseason, he appears to have a significant role in San Francisco’s revamped defensive front.
Defensive line coach Kris Kocurek explained on Wednesday why the veteran pass rusher was a priority free agent for the 49ers.
“The experience he brings to the table through the different schemes and the different places he’s played,” Kocurek said. “You can tell he is a professional. And then the athleticism, the explosiveness and the duration. His ability to cover ground quickly, his knowledge as a pass rusher and understanding how to get to the quarterback.”
The 49ers are looking for an edge rusher to opposite Nick Bosa as Dee Ford’s tenure in San Francisco came to a premature end midway through the 2021 season due to a lingering neck injury.
Floyd has a proven track record, but he also comes highly recommended by former Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley, who played for the 49ers during the offseason. The newly appointed assistant coach has a history with Floyd from his time with the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams, and that made Kocurek believe even more.
“We connected on that,” Kocurek said of his conversations with Staley. “I’m just hearing condemnation from Brandon’s side. The player, the person, the love for the game and the skill set. Obviously this appeals to you more when you get the full picture. The endorsement Brandon gave was huge in the evaluation process.”
Floyd has yet to earn Pro Bowl or All-Pro honors, but over the past four seasons he has averaged 10 sacks per season. No 49ers player other than Nick Bosa has had a 10-sack season since 2019, when now-Jacksonville Jaguars Arik Armstead reached the milestone.
Floyd, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, has recorded 58 sacks in his eight-year career, along with 370 tackles — 228 solo and 63 for loss. He has also showed incredible durabilityno having missed one game since 2017.
“[Floyd] is obviously a proven pass rusher,” Kocurek said. “And then just the love that he has for the game. He’s like a sponge. Even though he’s been in the NFL for a while, he’s continually a detail-oriented person who wants to get everything right and it works. And if he doesn’t get it right, he’ll go back in line to get another rep to get it right.”
Kocurek’s players typically line up in a three-point stance, but Floyd won’t be restricted to that style. Similar to Ford in the past, Floyd will both play with one hand in the dirt in specific pass rush scenarios, with the option to stand as well.
While in Buffalo, Floyd played about 50 percent of snaps from a three-point stance, as opposed to his time with the Rams where he played more two-point.
“Anytime a player is really good at something, I’d be an idiot if I took that away from him and said, ‘You can’t do that,’” Kocurek said. “He stood out at two points in his career. Over my years, I’ve had guys who have always been known for being good at dirty defense, but then you get a unique skill set that can excel in a two-point stance and do really good things in a two-point stance, You don’t want to just take that away from a player.”
