FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — "A smoking gun." That's what the Atlanta Falcons' new edge rusher, Leonard Floyd, called himself Tuesday during his introductory press conference.
The question that prompted the response was simple: What does Floyd bring to the Falcons' defense? The answer, however, required further explanation.
"Picture third down," Floyd said. "Third-and-6. Third-and-7. It's time to get the quarterback. That's when I show up. That's what I'm here for."
Floyd's resume proves that. He has tallied at least 8.5 sacks in each of the last five seasons, peaking with 10.5 in 2020 and 2023.
The 32-year-old Georgia native has been in the NFL since 2016, though. In his first four seasons, he couldn't top the seven sacks he made as a rookie.
Really, his 66.5 career sack total breaks down into 18.5 from 2016-19 and 48 from 2020-24. The turnaround came when he moved from the Chicago Bears, who drafted him with the No. 9 overall pick, to the Los Angeles Rams, where he stayed for three seasons.
"I was basically a pro becoming a pro," Floyd said. "Being more professional. Being more aware of my moves on third down. You know how you can just go out and play without knowing the move? It's basically studying your craft so hard that you know what moves you're doing and you know when the time is to do them."
It worked so much so that even when Floyd switched teams in back-to-back seasons, going from the Rams to the Buffalo Bills in 2023 and then to the San Francisco 49ers in 2024, his production remained high. He matched his career high with 10.5 sacks in Buffalo. He then posted 8.5 sacks in San Francisco.
Floyd still wants more. He didn't mince words when declaring his aim for 2025 with the Falcons.
"Getting my highest amount of sacks in one season, that's my goal," Floyd said. "It's always been my goal, every season."
That would mean Floyd would have to total at least 11 sacks.
The Falcons haven't had a double-digit sack producer since Vic Beasley and his 15.5 in 2016. Atlanta ranked 16th overall with 34 team sacks that year, finishing with an 11-5 record in the regular season before making a run to the Super Bowl.
For comparison, Arnold Ebiketie led Atlanta last season with six sacks. The team ranked 31st with 31 sacks and missed the playoffs after finishing with an 8-9 record.
So, safe to say, the Falcons would love it if Floyd can accomplish this personal feat. It'd be a step in the right direction for their pass rush in general. And the move to sign a player with such beliefs aligns with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s mission to affect the quarterback.
"We both know that I can do multiple things in the defense and I've played in multiple schemes," Floyd said. "I'm going to go out and do what I do best: buy into the playbook and buy into the coaching as well."
The Falcons' offseason program can't begin until after the NFL Draft, which is April 24-26. Then, only rookies come in for their minicamp. Veterans can join later on in May.
That doesn't mean Floyd isn't already putting in the work.
"Next few weeks, I'm training with my trainer, working on my pass rush," Floyd said. "I'm big on game-type situations, so I always work on pass rushing. Work on pass rush, work on pass rush, work on pass rush. That's all I do."
