Falcons fans should temper expectations for Leonard Floyd

With Michael Penix Jr. in the fold, the Falcons goal this offseason was clear — fix the damn pass rush.

It’s long been the weak point of Atlanta’s defense, which has handicapped the entire team for some time now. But it always took a backseat to the quarterback position, and rightfully so. It’s the most important position in football, and the Falcons believe they’ve figured it out with Penix.

Now, attention and resources will turn to the pass rush, especially considering the offensive line and skill group is more than enough for a rookie quarterback to succeed.

Through the first wave of free agency, the Falcons have improved that area, even if there’s still work to do. While he doesn’t rush the passer, Mike Hughes is back in the mix and provides stability in the secondary. The most notable addition, though, was Leonard Floyd, who grew up in Georgia before becoming one of the best pass rushers to come out of Athens.

He’s an upgrade over what the Falcons had last year at the position, but I think fans should temper expectations for the hometown kid. Leonard Floyd has never and will never carry a pass rush. Though he’s eighth in the league in sacks over the last five years (48), Floyd has never been the guy on the defensive line.

In that span, he’s led his team in sacks twice. The first time was in 2022 with the Rams when Aaron Donald only played 11 games and in 2023 with the Bills, when he recorded 10.5 sacks, followed by Ed Oliver, an interior defender, with 9.5 sacks.

That’s excellent production, but let me try to put it into perspective. Trey Hendrickson, who the Falcons have been linked to, is considered one of the few premier pass rushers in the NFL, and he’s third in the NFL in sacks over the last five seasons with 70.5.

However, if we compare the pair’s pass rush win rate, Floyd ranks 100th with a 11.2% rate in that span, compared to Hedrickson’s 16.9%, per Josh Kendall. Obviously, nobody is comparing Leonard Floyd to Trey Hendrickson, but I think it’s important to highlight the difference between a complementary pass rusher and a defense’s primary pass rusher.

The Falcons got better with Floyd. There’s no doubt about that, but the work isn’t done.

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Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire