Leonard Floyd Could Be an Intriguing Pass-Rushing Option for Chiefs

If Kansas City is willing to think and work outside the box, Floyd could be a valuable addition.

The start of the 2023-24 NFL league year is just around the corner, and the pre-free agency chaos is ramping up early in the week. Monday morning's news cycle saw multiple important tidbits rise to the surface, and one of them could potentially be of interest to the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Coming off a 5-12 season that saw them unsuccessfully defend their Super Bowl LVI title, the Los Angeles Rams are attempting to unload some contracts that the team can't truly afford in the short- or long-term. One of those deals is that of outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, who has reportedly been informed by the team that he'll either be traded or cut in the near future. If Floyd is cut pre-June 1, the move will save Los Angeles $3 million against the salary cap but incur a dead cap hit of $19M. If that cut is designated post-June 1, it saves $15.5M but the team would have to wait for the funds to hit and it'd incur dead cap charges of $6.5M this year and $12.5M next year.

Under his current contract, Floyd's cap hits for the 2023 and 2024 seasons currently sit at $22M and $22.5M, respectively. Despite his recent track record of having no fewer than nine sacks in each of the last three seasons, the veteran's production isn't consistent with someone who's compensated as a top-tier edge defender. That makes a trade less likely, as does the fact that opposing teams now publicly know that the Rams intend to cut him if no such trade partner is found. In that event, the door opens for a team like the Chiefs to swoop in and make an offer on the free agent market.

Floyd is set to turn 31 in September, and he didn't record a sack for the first six games of last season. On top of that, he played through injuries (and dealt with injury recovery) during parts of the year as well. With that said, he still managed to produce at an adequate level from a season-wide lens and a healthy offseason could help get him back on track for 2023 and beyond. The beauty is in the eye of the beholder: Either Floyd is on the verge of falling off as a pass-rusher, or he defied the odds by turning in a solid campaign even while being banged up. At any rate, he performed at a level last season that many in Chiefs circles should be accustomed to:

Double team rate at Edge (x) by pass rush win rate at Edge (y) for the 2022 NFL season.

(ESPN / NFL Next Gen Stats) pic.twitter.com/PDSa4L5xTs

— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) January 13, 2023

With Frank Clark and Carlos Dunlap both set to become free agents, bringing in a comparable player wouldn't be the worst idea. Even if Clark is retained on a restructured/extended contract, the absence of Dunlap would leave the door open for some more pass-rush juice to be added to Steve Spagnuolo's defensive line. Another nine-sack season from Floyd wouldn't be needed in order for him to be a worthwhile addition, but that at least partially depends on the price tag he commands on the open market as well. Kansas City can't afford to price itself out of its own range for anything other than a pretty safe bet, and Floyd isn't quite that. 

Another thing to consider is that Floyd isn't a prototypical Spagnuolo defensive end. More of a true outside linebacker/edge hybrid, Floyd has the height and arm length that Spagnuolo traditionally prefers but is well underweight (listed at 240 pounds) relative to those parameters. The Chiefs' in-season acquisition of Melvin Ingram in 2021 leaves room for interpretation and the influence of defensive line coach Joe Cullen must also be taken into account, but it remains to be seen if Floyd would even be on the team's radar due to his size. If not, the entire process is a moot point.

If Floyd does pique Kansas City's interest, though, the team would be wise to outlast any trade buzz and then revisit things once he becomes a free agent. When that happens, all bets are off. In a free agent class that contains some useful veteran names who may not break the bank, Floyd's is another one thrown into the hat. The Chiefs' defensive line could use another pass-rusher and while Floyd's run defense would leave some to be desired in a Spagnuolo-style front, bringing in a mostly proven specialist wouldn't hurt.

Read More: ESPN Insider Provides Updates on Chiefs’ Free Agent Class