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There are NFL franchises that will get enticed about either adding Super Bowl experience or someone with a background in rushing the passer before 2023 training camp. And Leonard Floyd, formerly of the Los Angeles Rams, comes with both backgrounds.
However, while the former $64 million Super Bowl winning edge rusher and the Rams’ leading pass rusher from 2022 remains a hot name this late into free agency, it’s best for him to be choosy of his next destination — which includes being urged to turn down one contender he’s been linked to: the Philadelphia Eagles.
Why Eagles Won’t Work for Floyd
Floyd was called a potential signing option by Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report for the NFC champs.
“Although pass-rusher Leonard Floyd is approaching 31 years old, he still has plenty in the proverbial tank. Despite playing on the lackluster Los Angeles Rams in 2022, he managed to record nine sacks and 31 quarterback pressures. The Rams released Floyd in a cap-saving move earlier this offseason. The Philadelphia Eagles would be a great landing spot for him,” Knox wrote.
Sure, the Eagles and their ridiculously stacked pass rushing room has become an NFL heaven for those who like attacking the passer. It’s a room that features All-Pro Haason Reddick and just added the immensely quick Nolan Smith, best known for blazing his 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds. Knox adds that luring in Floyd “feels exactly like the sort of addition general manager Howie Roseman would make.”
However, here’s two examples why it’s best for Floyd to divert away from the City of Brotherly Love.
The Eagles had two past Rams representatives during the NFC title run in Robert Quinn and Ndamukong Suh. Quinn ended up getting lost in the loaded edge rush room and didn’t record a sack in an Eagles uniform — a major drop from the 18.5 he delivered in 2021 with the Chicago Bears. Suh, meanwhile, ended up with his worst sack season of his 13-season career with just one.
And, with Smith and top 10 pick Jalen Carter on board plus the return of Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham (two 11-sack edge rushers last season opposite of Reddick), Floyd is running the risk of witnessing his own sack numbers decline if he heads to Philly.
While adding a rusher like Floyd is enticing for both the Eagles and the veteran, Floyd is better off preventing himself from going down the path of Ex-Rams defenders Quinn and Suh. He’s better off finding another landing spot.
One Destination Suggests a Homecoming for Floyd
Knox’s B/R colleague Maurice Moton offered up this idea: Floyd heads to the Atlanta Falcons, which brings the 6-foot-6 rusher back to his home state.
“The Falcons signed edge-rusher Bud Dupree, but he’s missed at least five games in each of the past three seasons. Leonard Floyd has been more productive and reliable in the same time frame,” Moton wrote of the native of Eastman, Georgia who also starred for the Georgia Bulldogs. Moton believes Floyd is capable of adding one more title in Atlanta.
“As a matter of fact, Floyd would be the Falcons’ best pass-rusher in recent years,” Moton wrote. “He’s recorded at least nine sacks in each of the last three seasons. Atlanta hasn’t had a player match or eclipse that number since Adrian Clayborn in 2017. Like Falcons edge-rusher Lorenzo Carter, Floyd played college football at Georgia and is from Atlanta. As 2022 second-rounder Arnold Ebiketie grows into a bigger role, Floyd can impact the pass rush for a team that had the league’s lowest pressure rate (14.6 percent) last year.
Here’s what else could persuade Floyd: Every division opponent for the Falcons is bringing in a new quarterback, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with two former teammates of Floyd in Baker Mayfield and John Wolford. Adding an experienced rusher like Floyd can be perfect for the Falcons in testing the newcomers behind center.
At his age plus with a Super Bowl ring already in tow, perhaps a Peach State homecoming can work for Floyd as he heads toward the twilight years of his career.
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