While the major periods of roster building may have come and gone already this offseason, the Buffalo Bills are continuing to scour the NFL market to bolster their pass rush. The club signed veteran pass rusher Leonard Floyd to a one-year deal, it announced Tuesday. Floyd's deal is worth $7 million fully guaranteed, according to ESPN. He also has an incentives package that centered around sacks that can bring the deal up to $9 million.
This is a notable addition for a Bills team that has Super Bowl expectations coming into 2023 as Floyd not only will be able to be a key member off the edge, but he also has championship pedigree. The 30-year-old spent the last three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, including the 2021 season when the organization was able to win Super Bowl LVI. In that victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, Floyd made his presence felt with five tackles and a sack.
Buffalo has the fourth-shortest odds to win Super Bowl LVIII this season at Caesars Sportsbook, but the club is looking at a loaded AFC that features several top-tier quarterbacks, including Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Aaron Rodgers. While they have Josh Allen to counter those quarterbacks from a positional standpoint, Floyd will now be tasked with pressuring them off the edge to help put the Bills over the top.
Floyd was released by L.A. earlier this offseason but finds himself in an ideal situation with Buffalo while also reuniting with fellow pass rusher Von Miller, who he played alongside during that Super Bowl run in 2021. Miller is coming off a torn ACL that erased a chunk of his 2022 season, so Floyd could be asked to carry some extra weight early as Miller finds his footing.
Floyd joins a Bills' pass-rushing unit that also includes Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa, Shaq Lawson and Boogie Basham.
The Georgia product entered the NFL back in 2016 when the Bears took with the No. 9 overall pick. He spent the first four years of his career in Chicago before being released following the 2019 season. He'd then jump aboard with the Rams and that's where he'd enjoy more on-field success. Over the past three seasons, Floyd has recorded at least nine sacks, 18 quarterback hits, and seven tackles for a loss.
For his career, Floyd has 47.5 sacks, 103 quarterback hits, 338 tackles, and three forced fumbles.