The New York Giants were not shy about their desire to land edge rusher Leonard Floyd in the 2016 NFL Draft, but the Chicago Bears traded up ahead of Big Blue and snagged Floyd out from underneath them.
However, as fate would have it, the Giants now find themselves in a situation to right that wrong as Floyd hits the open market, having been released by Chicago on Tuesday.
And the Giants are wasting little time chasing him down, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
Former #Bears LB Leonard Floyd has a number of teams in play for him already. Among them: The #Giants, whom Chicago leaped over a few years ago to draft Floyd.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 17, 2020
With obvious needs along the edge, it should come as little surprise the Giants have rekindled their interest in Floyd, but what’s curious is why they appear to be avoiding the top-tier edge rushers on the open market.
There had been rumors for weeks that the Giants would be interested in players like Jadeveon Clowney, but they now appear to be taking a more sensible route at the position, focusing more on tier two free agents that will come at a cheaper price.
Floyd certainly fits that bill, having seen his sack totals decrease each of the last four seasons and never eclipsing the double-digit mark. He managed just three in 16 games a season ago, and has recorded just 18.5 in 54 games as a pro.
But perhaps a change of scenery and a new defensive scheme would benefit Floyd, who is still a quality player at the age of 27.
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