FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The biggest offseason acquisition for the Atlanta Falcons so far in 2025 has been pass rusher Leonard Floyd, who is reuniting with Raheem Morris, his former defensive coordinator in Los Angeles, to help improve the defense.
The Falcons finished with 31 sacks last season, the second fewest in the NFL. They showed marked improvement down the stretch, however, generating 21 sacks during the final six weeks, which were second most behind only the Dallas Cowboys. In Floyd, Atlanta is getting a player with a proven track record who should raise the floor of the defense.
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At 32 years old, Floyd is firmly in the later stages of his career, but he can still be a three-down starter or a high-quality situational rusher if the Falcons feel comfortable starting Arnold Ebiketie and Bralen Trice.
The former first-round pick spent two years playing for Morris in Los Angeles, and he recorded at least nine sacks in each season. Atlanta has not had a single player reach nine sacks since Adrian Clayborn finished the 2017 season with 9.5. For his career, Floyd has averaged about eight sacks a season, and he recorded 8.5 last year for the San Francisco 49ers.
During the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Floyd was a central figure for the Rams' defense. He primarily lined up at the left outside linebacker position in Morris' defense, playing 1,315 snaps at that spot compared to 426 snaps at right outside linebacker, according to Pro Football Focus.
On tape, it's easy to see how Floyd fits into the Falcons' defensive designs. He's incredibly long, has the power to set an edge and is still athletic enough to drop into coverage on simulated pressures. Floyd also shows good awareness for how to play off of those around him, timing his twists and stunts effectively as well as adjusting his rush to maintain proper lanes based on what his teammates are doing.
Floyd's length helps him convert his pressures into sacks at a strong rate. During the 2022 season, for example, Floyd had 52 pressures and nine sacks. That conversion rate of 17.3% is similar to premiere edge rushers like Brian Burns, Chandler Jones and Danielle Hunter.
If Arnold Ebiketie can continue to make the strides he did late in the 2024 season, the Falcons should have a pair of pass rushers capable of truly complementing one another by flushing quarterbacks towards the other's side. Factor in the return of Bralen Trice from a season-ending injury and the possibility of adding another player in the draft, and the Falcons have four players they can center their pass rush around.
A native of Atlanta, Floyd's experience should benefit the entire position group. He's played a lot of high-level football, including winning the Super Bowl in 2022, which would lead one to believe there are plenty of insights he can share from his nine years in the league.
Floyd won't single-handedly fix Atlanta's pass rush, but his familiarity with Morris and strong track record of production the last five seasons should help the Falcons improve in that area next fall.
