The Los Angeles Rams moved quickly after learning that Dante Fowler Jr. wouldn’t be returning, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with Leonard Floyd. The deal is worth $10 million, making Floyd almost a lock to start for the Rams in 2020.
It’s a recognizable name to many fans, but there are some things about Floyd you may not know. For example, he has ties to the Rams’ coaching staff and roster.
Here are four things to know about the Rams’ newest pass rusher.
He played for Brandon Staley in Chicago
If there’s anyone who knows Floyd’s game, it’s the Rams’ defensive coordinator. The two worked together in 2017 and 2018 when Staley coached the outside linebackers in Chicago. In those two seasons, Floyd had 8.5 combined sacks and 23 QB hits, missing six games in that span.
Staley’s fingerprints are all over this move, given his history with Floyd. He played him on the strong side at outside linebacker, allowing him to not only rush the passer from there, but also asking him to take on right tackles and tight ends in the running game.
He’s been teammates with Todd Gurley before
Floyd and Gurley were teammates at Georgia in 2013 and 2014. Floyd led the Bulldogs with 6.5 sacks as a true freshman in 2013, while Gurley rushed for 989 yards and 10 TDs in only 10 games.
Georgia went 18-8 in the two years that Floyd and Gurley were together on the team and both players went on to be top 10 picks in their respective drafts; Gurley in 2015 (10th) and Floyd in 2016 (9th).
They’re slated to be teammates again in 2020, but that’s only if the Rams don’t part ways with Gurley, who’s reportedly being discussed on the trade market.
He’s a better run defender than pass rusher
Floyd only has 18.5 career sacks in four seasons and his numbers have decreased each year: 7.0 in 2016, 4.5 in 2017, 4.0 in 2018 and 3.0 this past season. That’s not an encouraging trend, but outside linebackers are asked to do more than just rush the passer. They also have to stop the run, which Floyd does an excellent job of.
It’s part of the reason he plays LOLB, lining up on the strong side of the formation. He consistently takes on bigger blockers and uses his length to separate from linemen and tight ends.
Last season, he earned a grade of 73.3 against the run, while his pass-rush grade was only 61.4, according to PFF.
Bears traded up in 2016 to draft him
The Bears opted to release Floyd this week instead of paying him $13.2 million, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t covet him at one time. He was taken with the ninth overall pick in the 2016 draft after the Bears moved up two spots from No. 11 overall. The deal cost Chicago a fourth-round pick.
Floyd was a promising prospect out of Georgia, possessing great length at 6-foot-6, 244 pounds with 33 1/8-inch arms. He was thin and lanky as a rookie and remains as such now, but Floyd plays bigger than his size suggests.
In the 40-yard dash, he ran a 4.6 and jumped 39.5 inches in the vertical. He also had a 127-inch broad jump, all of which were among the best at his position at the combine.
