Since Sean McVay took over as head coach of the Rams in 2017, it’s been the offense leading the charge in Los Angeles. The Rams have ranked in the top 11 in points and yards in each of his three seasons, but the defense has yet to finish in the top 11 in either category.
It improved last year by allowing the 13th-fewest yards in the NFL and ranking ninth in Football Outsiders’ DVOA, but McVay decided to move on from Wade Phillips and bring in first-year coordinator Brandon Staley.
Expectations are still high for the Rams defense – as they should be with Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey on the same squad – and Leonard Floyd thinks they will exceed them. He’s fully confident Los Angeles will finish in the top 10 defensively this season.
“I’m very confident, I’m very confident with that. Very confident,” he told reporters Tuesday.
Despite being on a new team in a new city, Floyd feels right at home in the Rams defense. That’s because he played two years under Staley in Chicago from 2017-2018, and Floyd says the defense is “familiar other than the language.” He clarified that the Rams have “different language as far as the calls and stuff [they] make,” but the system should feel familiar to Floyd.
Needless to say, he’s excited to be playing for Staley again in Los Angeles.
“It’s awesome being back up under his tutelage,” Floyd said. “He’s a guy that brings energy, he’s a motivator. He brings it every day, no matter what we’re going through. It gives guys the drive to go out and practice hard and work hard for the team.”
Floyd had arguably his best season in 2018 when he recorded four sacks, nine tackles for loss, 11 QB hits, one interception and four passes defensed. His length and athleticism allow him to do several different things on defense, from stopping the run to rushing the passer to dropping into coverage.
“I think I bring versatility – a guy that can do it all, anything the defense needs me to do – set the edge in the run, rush the passer and help out in coverage,” he said.