Why the Giants Should Take a Chance on Edge Rusher Leonard Floyd

Back in 2016 the Giants were reportedly set to draft Georgia edge rusher Leonard Floyd only too be thwarted by the Bears. With Chicago parting ways with Floyd, here's why it makes sense for the Giants to take a flier on their one-time draft target.

The Chicago Bears released their former 2016 first-round pick in linebacker Leonard Floyd, and already he’s drawing interest from several teams, including the Giants, per an NFL Network report.

If Floyd’s name sounds familiar, that’s because back in 2016, the Giants were reportedly very interested in selecting the 6-foot 5, 240-pound linebacker out of Georgia in the first round. 

However, the Bears jumped ahead of the Giants, who at the time held the tenth overall pick that year. Chicago traded with the Bucs to move up from No. 11 to No. 9 overall, one spot ahead of the Giants.

Floyd never fully lived up to expectations after a strong rookie season, when he accumulated 33 tackles, 7 sacks, and six tackles for a loss before a concussion cut his rookie campaign short by four games.

Since his first year in the league, Floyd’s sack numbers have steadily decreased. He has only totaled 11.5 sacks in the past three seasons. However, he still has shown the consistent ability to rush the passer with 35 quarterback hits and 75 pressures during this span.

In the last two seasons alone, Floyd has racked up 49 pressures, 23 hits, and seven sacks while starting all 32 games at outside linebacker on the Bears defense.

The Bears signed edge rusher Robert Quinn to a five-year $70 million contract on Tuesday. Not long after this move, they announced they were releasing Floyd. The former first-round pick was set to make a guaranteed $13.2 million on his fifth-year option.

With Floyd hitting the open market, he is an intriguing option for the Giants to add to their pass-rushing depth due to his role as a consistent pocket disruptor. What also makes him an interesting candidate is his length, athleticism, and versatility to rush the passer standing up or cover the flat in space at the second level.

His size compares to third-year linebacker (and fellow Georgia alumnus) Lorenzo Carter, who stands at 6-foot 5 and weighs at 251 pounds.

Floyd has been a solid complement to star edge rusher Khalil Mack, but he has yet to live up to the top-level player he was once projected to be after being selected in the top 10 of the 2016 NFL draft.

The Giants have been linked to several other pass rushers on the market, but they could opt to take a flyer on Floyd to beef up their edge group after spending roughly $49.6 million on the franchise tag for Leonard Williams, and free-agent contracts for linebackers Blake Martinez and Kyler Fackrell, and cornerback James Bradberry.

The Giants are prioritizing defense this off-season, and Floyd is a solid depth move similar to last off-season’s signing of Markus Golden, who took a one-year “prove it” deal at $3.5 million to show he could be a leading pass rusher. 

Golden racked up 10 sacks in 2019 and is in line for a nice payday after becoming the first Giants linebacker to record double-digit sacks since Lawrence Taylor.

Like Golden, Floyd could potentially reward the Giants for taking a chance on him and become a solid contributor in an edge-rushing group that now consists of Fackrell, Carter, and Oshane Ximines.