NE Atlanta News

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons' newcomer Leonard Floyd made a bold declaration during his introductory press conference, referring to himself as "a smoking gun" when discussing his potential impact on the team's defense. Floyd emphasized his readiness for clutch situations, saying, "Picture third down. 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."

Throughout his NFL career, Floyd has consistently demonstrated his ability to contribute, achieving at least 8.5 sacks in each of the past five seasons. His sack totals peaked at 10.5 in 2020 and 2023. Originally drafted by the Chicago Bears in 2016, Floyd's career saw a significant uptick in productivity after joining the Los Angeles Rams, where he played for three seasons.

Floyd attributed his progress to a more professional approach, explaining, "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."

Despite changing teams from the Rams to the Buffalo Bills in 2023 and then moving to the San Francisco 49ers in 2024, Floyd maintained consistent performance levels. He matched his career best with 10.5 sacks while with the Bills and achieved 8.5 sacks in San Francisco.

With the Falcons, Floyd is focused on achieving his personal best in sack totals, stating, "Getting my highest amount of sacks in one season, that's my goal. It's always been my goal, every season." To surpass his previous performances, Floyd would need at least 11 sacks in the upcoming season.

The Falcons have not had a player achieve double-digit sack numbers since Vic Beasley in 2016. Beasley recorded 15.5 sacks that year, and the team ranked 16th with a total of 34 sacks. In comparison, Arnold Ebiketie led the Falcons last season with just six sacks, placing the team 31st in overall sacks.

The move to sign Floyd aligns with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s objective of strengthening the pass rush. Floyd echoed this sentiment, asserting, "We both know that I can do multiple things in the defense and I've played in multiple schemes. I'm going to go out and do what I do best: buy into the playbook and buy into the coaching as well."

Although the Falcons' offseason program doesn't start until after the NFL Draft on April 24-26, Floyd is already preparing. "Next few weeks, I'm training with my trainer, working on my pass rush," he 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."