LA Rams OLB Leonard Floyd visits hospital, questionable for Sunday

LA Rams OLB Leonard Floyd rushed to the hospital as a precautionary checkup for abdominal pain and will be questionable for Sunday

The hits keep coming to the LA Rams starting roster, and the latest is the most bizarre of all. Veteran outside linebacker Leonard Floyd was reportedly rushed to the hospital today as a precautionary measure for abdominal pain per ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry.  But with no further details, and the outbreak of player injuries and COVID-19 on the roster, this is the last news that the team needed to receive.

Of course, Floyd is the Rams’ top performer off the edge. So far this season, his 9.5 sacks on the team is second only to defensive lineman Aaron Donald‘s 13.5. Meanwhile, his total tackles of 53 are seventh on the team.  That’s not bad, considering he plays in the edge position.

Floyd plays great D

Veteran Leonard Floyd was signed to this Rams defense because he does everything required at a high level. He is not just a pass-rush specialist.  While he can get after the quarterback at a frantically effective pace, that is just one of many vital skills he brings. His greatest skillset is how formidable he sets the edge.

In games against mobile quarterbacks, he is almost universally effective at containing the edge, forcing the quarterback to remain in the pocket where his teammates can collapse for the sack. He also is very effective at pass coverage and instinctively recognizes when to hand off the receiver to a defensive back, and when to retain coverage responsibility. While his Pro Football Focus grade is a respectable 66.9, he is playing at a higher level due to so many things he does that is not graded.

The hope is that Floyd will be available to play Sunday.

If everything checks out okay for Floyd, and the pain subsides, he will no doubt press hard to start for the Rams. But at the pace and tone of the news for the Rams this week, anything is possible.