Staring intently under the brim of a yellow visor, Sharrif Floyd surveyed the defense without him.
One afternoon last week, Floyd observed his eighth consecutive practice from the sideline as a nagging knee injury has kept him out of the preseason. It's provided plenty of time to critique his replacement at defensive tackle.
"Technique is up to par," Floyd said. "He's been playing some good ball."
Shamar Stephen is not the listed backup for Floyd, though his name probably should be duplicated on the team's depth chart. His name shows up behind Linval Joseph, whom Stephen also backs up at nose tackle.