He 'doesn’t think he should ever be blocked.' Can Floyd give an edge to Bills pass rush?
When you look at Buffalo Bills edge rusher Leonard Floyd, the first question you might ask yourself is, ‘Where are the 240 pounds he supposedly weighs?’
At 6-foot-3, Floyd is long and lean with a tapered torso and he doesn’t look at all like a prototype defensive lineman. Rather, he looks like he could run the wing on a fast break, or get into an MMA octagon and take on Rochester’s own Jon “Bones” Jones.
The next question might be, how does a guy with that body frame deal with hulking offensive tackles, some of whom weigh nearly 100 pounds more than he does, on a play to play basis.
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“He’s just a really edgy guy, doesn’t think he should ever be blocked,” said defensive line coach Eric Washington. “He has a really, really competitive, aggressive mindset, his hands are extremely violent, and he understands pad level and all the things you have to do to give yourself a chance to win. I mean, he gets (upset) if he’s blocked or stalled as a pass rusher. I absolutely love that. He’s got a lot of pride in how he performs.”
Leonard Floyd's NFL career
Ever since Floyd entered the NFL as the No. 9 overall pick of the Bears in the 2016 NFL Draft he has used that power, speed and nasty attitude to become a pass rush specialist, particularly during the three years he spent with the Rams.
In four seasons in Chicago, Floyd was a good player who compiled 18.5 sacks, 44 QB hits and 154 tackles, but once he went to Los Angeles and was able to team up with the NFL’s best defensive lineman, tackle Aaron Donald, not to mention a half of 2021 with his new Bills teammate Von Miller, Floyd became a true menace to opposing quarterbacks. In just three seasons he racked up 29 sacks, 59 QB hits and 184 tackles.
“It might not look like it, but it’s a lot of power,” Floyd said when asked about his lithe body. “It’s a lot that you have to deal with, quickness and everything. It’s a lot more than you think than just the body structure. It’s how I’m setting up the move, how I’m getting off the ball, getting them weak from kicking, then you hit them with that power. And it’s just learning your body and knowing moves you got, that’s all it is. And I’m gonna make sure you see that during the season. When I put my pads on, it’s time to get violent, it’s time to make plays, man.”
What Leonard Floyd brings to the Buffalo Bills defense
Miller loved that general manager Brandon Beane brought in Floyd because he knows what the player can bring to the defense having been his teammate.
“His energy, the way he goes about playing defense, the way he goes about playing football,” Miller said. “Leonard Floyd is a Super Bowl champion. He’s made plays in the Super Bowl. He knows what it takes and he’s just another guy to be able to rub off on this team.”
Of course, Miller helped push the Bills’ pursuit of Floyd over the proverbial goal line, extolling the virtues of One Bills Drive when Floyd reached out during the negotiations.
“I called him right when I knew I had interest from the Bills to get the inside details on how the staff works, how people treat the players, and how the team is,” Floyd said. “And Von was a great guy in telling me that, ‘This is a great place, man, you’ve got to come.’ And I made it happen. We made it happen.”
Even though he turns 31 a few days before the season opener against the Jets, the Bills believe Floyd is still capable of being a difference maker which is why they signed him late in the free agent process after he had been on the open market nearly two months.
“As we say, all the time, roster-building is a 12-month thing,” Beane said after he signed Floyd in June. “He’s a guy we checked in with before the draft and we stayed in touch with. He’s a pass rusher, just the ability to get after the passer first. The best way to play defense in this league, such a passing league … got to get to the other quarterback, get him off the spot. Even if you’re not sacking them, affecting them, hurrying throws, things like that. To add a guy like that to our group adds competition.”
That 2021 Rams defense featuring Donald, Miller, Floyd and Greg Gaines in the front seven (it also had another new Bill, safety Taylor Rapp in the secondary) recorded 50 sacks with Floyd contributing 9.5 as Los Angeles won Super Bowl 56. Assuming Miller can return to form from his knee injury, Floyd continues to play as he has, and young players like Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa, Ed Oliver and Poona Ford take a step up, the Bills should be able to push past the 40 sacks they made in 2022.
“I was telling Shaq (Lawson, who he played with at the prep school Hargrave Military Academy) this is the best group I’ve been around as far as I can trust the guys when they’re in the game, they know football,” Floyd said. “I’ve been on teams where you couldn’t really trust the guy behind me and I had to play like the whole game. Being around these guys I know with the rotation everybody can eat. Everybody’s gonna eat.”
Rousseau, who at 6-foot-6 and 266 pounds is another long and lean edge rusher who is getting valuable tips from Floyd, tied Miller for the team lead last season with eight sacks. He’s already seeing how his own numbers could rise playing with Floyd.
“Definitely another dude who could really push the pocket, rush off the edge,” said Rousseau, who finished tied with Miller for the team lead in sacks last year with eight. “And I feel like he’s gonna make our group even better than it was last year.”
Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana and on Threads @salmaiorana1. To subscribe to Sal's newsletter, Bills Blast, which will come out every Friday during training camp, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Leonard Floyd counted on to give an edge to Buffalo Bills pass rush
