Packers Can Round Out Pass Rush With Former Bears’ Top-10 Pick

The Green Bay Packers defense has a quality complement of pass rushers when healthy, though that particular “when” may be a moving target as the season approaches.

Former No. 12 overall pick Rashan Gary is poised for a monster 2023 campaign heading into unrestricted free agency one year from now, but his potential next season is tied to how soon he can return from a torn ACL he suffered in November 2022 against the Detroit Lions.

Until Gary returns, Green Bay must consider a sizable hole on the strong side of its 3-4 base defense. The best candidate to fill that empty space is arguably outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, formerly of the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams.

Mike Price of CheeseheadTV on Monday, May 29, named Floyd as the type of player the Packers should consider signing ahead of the season.

“The Packers probably have the strongest edge group in the division, but they’re missing the type of edge who can drop into the flat on simulated pressures or creepers and fill in until Rashan Gary is 100%, like Leonard Floyd,” Price wrote.

Leonard Floyd Presents Packers With Less Risk Than Other Options

GettyOutside linebacker Leonard Floyd, formerly of the Los Angeles Rams, sacks quarterback Russell Wilson, formerly of the Seattle Seahawks, during an NFL game in December 2021.

A decision to sign a player over the age of 30 who lines up at a premium position is never one to be taken lightly, particularly when that player has a recent track record that allows him to command a multiyear deal.

Floyd will turn 31 just two days before the Packers open their season on the road in Chicago. But unlike some other free agent options on the edge, Floyd’s career trajectory is on the rise as he makes the turn into his early 30s.

The Bears selected Floyd out of Georgia with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. He got off to a promising start, tallying seven sacks, forcing a fumble, recording a safety and scoring a defensive touchdown during his rookie year, per Pro Football Reference.

His career took something of a dive after that, as Floyd amassed just 11.5 sacks across 42 games over his next three years in Chicago. Things began to turn around for the pass rusher when he inked a one-year deal with the Rams in 2020. He tallied a career-high 10.5 sacks and racked up 30 quarterback pressures.

Floyd’s performance earned him a four-year, $64 million contract with Los Angeles in 2021. He put together 18.5 sacks and 68 quarterback pressures over the first two seasons of that deal and won a Super Bowl ring in the process. The Rams released Floyd in March in a salary dump that saved the franchise $3 million against its 2023 cap number.

Leonard Floyd Makes Sense for Packers on Value Contract

GettyOutside linebacker Leonard Floyd, formerly of the Los Angeles Rams, attempts to tackle San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey during an NFL game in 2022.

As an outside linebacker, Floyd is a natural fit in the Packers’ defense. Because the team has Gary coming back on one side and Preston Smith on the other, Green Bay doesn’t need to rely on Floyd to put up double-digit sacks in 2023 to be worth a contract — though that would be a big plus, and he has proven capable of such a performance.

Spotrac projects Floyd’s market value at close to $14 million annually over a three-year deal. However, the fact that he remains a free agent as the calendar creeps toward June suggests the edge rusher isn’t going to find that kind of money on the open market.

Floyd would not be well bought by the Packers at the aforementioned projected value, but a two- or three-year contract at around $10 million annually with back-end team flexibility could make sense for a group in Green Bay that is probably going to need to rely heavily on its defense if it hopes to make a postseason return in 2023.