Getty Leonard Floyd celebrates a big play for the Bears in 2019.
The Detroit Lions have done good work to boost their defense so far in free agency, but work continues as it relates to adding more impact players.
While the defensive backfield was the most needy spot on the team, it’s clear the Lions could look to make a few more low-cost additions at other places to boost depth for the coming season.
Specifically, help could be needed at edge as well as linebacker. That’s a role that could be capably filled by a former member of the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears in Leonard Floyd. After being released on March 10, Floyd remains on the market, and that could be to Detroit’s advantage.
Bleacher Report writer Alex Ballentine took a look at naming the best fits left on the market for plenty of teams in terms of top free agents, and the Lions came up as a team that should be looking into Floyd.
As Ballentine explained, the Lions have a young pass rushing group which could mean the 30 year-old Floyd could give the team some veteran experience to rely on in terms of pass rush.
“Detroit has Aidan Hutchinson ready to anchor the pass rush for years to come. But defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn could use Floyd’s expertise and skills to create a duo that can get after the quarterback in 2023,” Ballentine wrote in the piece.
Defensively, the Lions have not elected to look outside the home for a lineman or an edge rusher yet, but that could change in the coming days. The team may be waiting for the market to settle and prices to come down a bit, especially after making their own additions from on the roster.
Floyd has experience on a winning roster and with big games, so his potential addition would be a big one for the Lions. Already, some see it as a possible. game-changer for Detroit.
Leonard Floyd’s Career Stats & Highlights
Starting his career in Chicago as a former first-round pick in 2016, Floyd has long been considered a menace to opposing passers. With the Bears, his career started hot, with 15.5 sacks in three years with the team.
In 2019, Floyd had a down year in Chicago with just three sacks, and was released in the offseason. After being picked up by the Rams, though, he started to have a much better run of luck at showing his old chops rushing the passer. In 2020, Floyd put up 10.5 sacks for Los Angeles, and never posted fewer than nine sacks in a season for the team.
Floyd helped the Rams to a Super Bowl 56 win, and has 340 tackles and 47.5 career sacks to his credit along with three forced fumbles and two interceptions. He also has two defensive touchdowns to his credit.
Lions Defense Could Still Use Boost up Front
Defensively, the Lions have done well to fix the back end, with names like Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley figuring to solve major problems at cornerback for the 2023 season.
Though that is the case, the team could still use a bit of help in the trenches and at linebacker. The team did bring back John Cominsky and Isaiah Buggs on new contracts in addition to Alex Anzalone. Both those players will help, but in a vacuum, neither could be considered more than enough at this stage.
While the Lions have major hope for the future thanks to the likes of Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill and James Houston, those players are all very young, and the team may lack true veteran presence in the trenches at this point in time. The Lions collected 39 sacks last year, but could use a bit more production in that department.
A player like Floyd could offer the Lions the kind of veteran experience the team needs in a big way, while also offering Detroit some major production in the trenches at a spot of need.
If the Lions brought him in, Floyd would no doubt offer the team a major boost for the future and play a big role for the 2023 season.