Grading EDGE Leonard Floyd’s re-signing with the Rams: B

The Rams won their bet on Leonard Floyd in 2020, and stacked the chips in 2021. Was that the right move for the former Bears bust?

Before the Rams re-signed pass-rusher Leonard Floyd to a four-year, $64 million contract on Monday, the Giants were reportedly all in. But it was the Rams that took a one-year gamble on Floyd before the 2020 season, and it was the Rams who were able to retain him. Floyd’s $16 million per year puts him just below Arizona’s Chandler Jones, and just above the deal Bud Dupree is getting from the Titans. So, it’s some pretty heavy money in theory.

One reason Brandon Staley landed the job as the Chargers’ head coach after just one season as the Rams’ defensive coordinator was a clear ability to take players and put them in positions to have their best seasons to date. That was certainly true for cornerback Darious Williams (who’s now one of the more underrated cornerbacks in the NFL), and it was also true for Floyd, who signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Rams in 2020 after four decent seasons with the Bears. In Staley’s defense, Floyd posted career highs in sacks (10.5), quarterback hurries (34), and stops (31), and the stops are instructive. Out of nowhere, Floyd proved to be not only an excellent edge-rusher, but also a highly underrated run-stopper for the Rams.

Floyd had four stops in Week 6 against the 49ers, and this six-yard Deebo Samuel loss was a perfect example of how Floyd can use his speed, quickness off the snap, and grit (not to mention a towel Samuel should keep tucked in!) to limit one of the NFL’s most complex and effective run games.

But when you’re an edge-rusher, you’re paid for sacks and pressures, and Floyd was especially effective against Russell Wilson. This sack at the start of the second quarter in the wild-card round against the Seahawks, in which Floyd just demolished right tackle Brandon Shell, is but one example.

It took a little extra time for the light to come on for Leonard Floyd, but it certainly did in 2020, and the Rams clearly saw it. There might be a “one-year wonder” element given Floyd’s career arc and Staley’s absence, but it’s also possible that Floyd just needed the right home for his talents. But if not, it’s a lot of money to find out.