The Buffalo Bills lacked depth on their side when passing thrower Von Miller tore his anterior cruciate ligament last season. Now the team is turning to one of its former teammates, agreeing to terms with outside linebacker Leonard Floyd on a one-year deal, the team confirmed Tuesday. The deal is worth $7 million with sack incentives that can push it to $9 million, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The 30-year-old has spent the past three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. He recorded 29 sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception during that span. He had nine sacks this season and 10.5 sacks in 2020 when he first joined the team.
The decision to add Floyd late in free agency comes after the Bills failed to add to their defensive line in the April draft. Instead, the team signed defensive tackle Poona Ford to a one-year, $2.25 million contract in May. Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver also recently agreed to a four-year, $68 million extension, which the team made official on Monday.
Miller is expected to need at least nine months to recover from his ACL injury, which puts Floyd in position to make up for his absence and add an extra upside when he returns. The pair won Super Bowl LVI together at the end of the 2021 season while playing for the Rams, with Floyd recording five tackles and a sack in the win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Current Bills passers AJ Epenesa, Gregory Rousseau, Shaq Lawson and Boogie Basham will likely benefit from the added experience and championship expertise.
Floyd, a former Georgia Bulldog, was released by the Rams earlier this offseason. During his time there, he had at least nine sacks, seven tackles for loss and 18 quarterback hits per season. Before that, he was drafted by the Chicago Bears with the 9th overall pick in 2016. He spent the first four years of his career there. Throughout his career, he has 47.5 sacks, 103 quarterback hits, 338 tackles and three forced fumbles.