It seems like every offseason, the San Francisco 49ers are bringing in a new defensive lineman after losing one. This year, it is the same as Leonard Floyd is leaving the Buffalo Bills to join the defending NFC champions.
The 49ers have lost Chase Young, Javon Kinlaw, Clelin Farrell, Sebastian Joseph-Day, and Arik Armstead all in free agency.
Floyd is a talented player, and what should 49ers fans expect out of their new player?
Who Is New 49ers EDGE Leonard Floyd?
Floyd played college football at Georgia and showed very early in his career that he had a high ceiling. He started eight of 13 games as a true freshman, finishing with 55 tackles and a team-high 6.5 sacks.
He followed that up with 55 tackles and six sacks. After his junior year, he declared for the NFL Draft.
At the NFL Combine, he put on a performance that had the scouts excited about what he could become. He ran a 4.6 40-yard dash, which is an impressive time for a 6-foot-6, 240-pound defensive end.
After that performance, there was no chance he wasn’t going to be a high draft pick, and he was taken with the ninth pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Floyd’s Contract Details
Floyd signed a two-year, $20 million contract with $12 million being guaranteed. For a guy who is currently 31 years old, that is not a bad contract at all.
The 49ers are able to sign guys like Floyd because they are paying such little money at the quarterback position, with Brock Purdy being a seventh-round pick. Floyd fills a role for San Francisco that the team had hoped Chase Young would provide when they traded for him last year.
As long as he is able to continue to play at the level he has, he should be able to play the next two years in San Francisco.
Floyd’s Career Stats
Floyd has been very consistent during his time in the NFL, and he got off to a great start. He was named to the All-Rookie Team, as he finished with 33 tackles, seven sacks, and one touchdown.
While he was a solid contributor in Chicago, it was in Los Angeles that he took his game to another level. In the three seasons that he played for the Rams, he finished with 10.5, 9.5, and nine sacks.
With Nick Bosa on the other side, Floyd is going to see a lot of 1-on-1 matchups. It is similar to when he played with Aaron Donald, as he was able to win a high percentage of 1-on-1 looks.
Last year in Buffalo, he finished with 9.5 sacks, playing in only 11 games. That type of production in those few games showed a lot of teams and general managers that he could still play.
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