The Detroit Lions signed Aidan Hutchinson, a talented edge rusher, but have been without a reliable pass rusher for the past two seasons.
According to one source, the organization might try to sign a veteran who just finished his greatest season as a player with the Buffalo Bills.
In his analysis of the team’s offseason requirements, Jared Ramsey of the Detroit Free Press pointed out that the Lions had trouble stopping the pass and applying steady pressure to opposition quarterbacks. Ramsey proposed that Leonard Floyd, an edge rusher who recorded double-digit sacks with the Bills in 2023, be a potential target for the Lions.
Although Ramsey mentioned that the Lions might target several defensive lineman who are available as free agents, such as Calais Campbell or Jadaveon Clowney, he identified Floyd as the most likely candidate. He pointed out that while the former pass rusher for the Los Angeles Rams wouldn’t come cheap, he could significantly improve Detroit’s defense.
“He produced ten and a half sacks this season for the Bills, but he will be thirty-two in September,” Ramsey wrote. According to Spotrac, “his projected 2024 contract is two years and $16.2 million, for an average of $8.1 million per year.”
Floyd has previously stated that he intends to accept the highest offer he receives following the team’s postseason exit, indicating that he won’t be offering the Bills a hometown discount.
Where the money goes is where I always look. It’s unfortunate, but I would prefer to be here. It’s an enterprise. According to the Democrat & Chronicle, Floyd declared, “I’m going to go wherever my agent feels like we get the most the most money from.”
In the same way that they did with Hutchinson and fellow second-year player James Houston, who had injury struggles in his first season while showing glimpses of star performance, the Lions could also keep developing their pass rush through the draft.
The team might try to select UCLA’s Laiatu Latu, who is expected to be a late first-round selection, according to Christian Booher of SI.com’s All Lions. After returning from a medical retirement in college due to a neck injury sustained during the 2020 preseason, Booher indicated in November that Latu could be a strong fit in Detroit, even if the Lions could need to move up to acquire him.
Concerns about his durability as it relates to his injury could hurt his draft stock, though his recent production has seemed to offset those doubts. Booher wrote, “He possesses elite quickness and a knack for getting to the quarterback, along with a sure-tackling ability that has produced 18.5 tackles for loss this season alone.” Over the past two seasons, he has participated in all 23 games that have been possible, thus durability has not been an issue.
Latu, who had to take a two-year hiatus from football to heal from a neck injury, is similarly driven to establish himself in the NFL.
I simply had the will and mindset that I would be able to return to the game and show everyone what I was capable of doing, even while I wasn’t playing football.
