LA Chargers: One free agent to pursue at every position

OLB: Leonard Floyd

Brandon Staley had a revolutionary impact on that Rams’ defense this year and it’s not far-fetched to think that some of those free agents may want to follow him to the other Los Angeles team. There’s a lot of potential options here. Safety John Johnson, cornerback Darious Williams (RFA), and Samson Ebukam are all free agents. The most likely option to me is Leonard Floyd.

Floyd was considered a first-round bust before being signed by the Rams in 2020. Once Staley got his hands on him, the former Bear registered career highs in sacks, tackles, tackles for loss, and quarterback hits. After waiting many years for his coming-out party in the NFL, LA proved to be a breath of fresh air for Floyd.

A lot remains to be seen with exactly how Staley will run the defense this season. Will Bosa rotate inside on some snaps? What happens with Ingram? What’s Uchenna Nwosu’s role? Bringing in a presence like Floyd’s would help answer some of those questions more efficiently.

I can already see the comments section now. “Floyd only was good because he was on a D-Line with Aaron Donald!”. While Donald’s impact on his performance cannot be ignored, neither can Bosa’s potential effect.

Bosa was second in the league to only Donald in pass-rush win rate in 2020. They’ve been the top two defensive linemen in that category going back four seasons. Floyd would do just fine with Staley and Bosa.