The 49ers picked up two edge rushers on Day 1 of free agency.
While the first few hours were pretty quiet, the San Francisco 49ers ultimately made a pair of moves on the first day of free agency, signing two edge rushers: Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos.
Floyd, 31, joins the 49ers on a two-year, $20 million deal that can be worth up to $24 million with $12 million in guaranteed money over the first year of the contract.
Gross-Matos, 26, earned a similar deal, getting a two-year contract worth $18 million, with the guarantees currently unknown.
Why did the 49ers ultimately sign two different edge rushers and what could each of them bring to the team in 2024?
Leonard Floyd
Leonard Floyd is an intriguing signing for the 49ers, as they elected to go with a player on the wrong side of 30, which hasn’t necessarily been their M.O. in recent offseasons.
However, Floyd’s resume speaks for itself; the former Buffalo Bills pass-rusher has recorded 39.5 sacks over the last four years, being fairly consistent in that stretch with at least nine sacks in each season.
Additionally, Floyd, despite his age, has been extremely durable throughout his prime, playing in at least 16 games since the 2018 season.
Floyd had his best season in 2020 while with the Los Angeles Rams, where he worked with newly hired assistant Brandon Staley, who was the defensive coordinator for the Rams at the time.
Looking at his 2023 productivity, Floyd recorded 10.5 sacks, although he did have just one over the last eight games of the season (six regular season + two playoff games).
But, looking at his pressure numbers, Floyd was still active in those eight games, recording 16 pressures.
Upon his arrival to the team, Floyd immediately jumps out as a top rotational piece for the 49ers opposite of Nick Bosa, although it doesn’t seem he’ll be a three-down player, given his age and primary usage as a pass-rusher.
One thing to note about Leonard Floyd? While his sack production has been strong over the past four years, his pass-rush win percentage hasn’t been that high.
Here are Floyd’s numbers over the last four years, per Pro Football Focus:
2023: 10.2 percent win rate
2022: 11.0 percent win rate
2021: 14.8 percent win rate
2020: 9.1 percent win rate
In 2023, Floyd had a lower pass-rush percentage than Nick Bosa (21.8 percent), Arik Armstead (15.2 percent), Javon Hargrave (13.6 percent), Chase Young (11.9 percent), Javon Kinlaw (11.3 percent), and Drake Jackson (11.0 percent).
Going back to 2022? Bosa, Charles Omenihu, Samson Ebukam, and Armstead all had higher rates than Floyd’s 11 percent win rate.
Now, the former Bills and Rams pass-rusher should face more 1-on-1 opportunities with the 49ers, given their talent along the defensive line, but his impact will definitely be one thing to monitor alongside his production.
Yetur Gross-Matos
Gross-Matos comes to the 49ers with a much different profile than Floyd, as the 49ers are banking more on upside with this signing.
Just 26 years old, Gross-Matos has had an up-and-down start to his career, capped by a career-high 4.5-sack season in 2023 with the Carolina Panthers.
Coming to San Francisco, it appears Gross-Matos will be a better fit systematically as a 4-3 edge rusher, but he has versatility, having worked both on the outside and on the inside, as well as with his hand in the dirt and standing up.
Gross-Matos’s physical traits are the most appealing; he’s long, explosive, and has a built frame at 6’5, 265 pounds, which was likely the selling card for the 49ers, who gave him a two-year deal worth $18 million.
Given his production, it may be fair to say currently that the deal could’ve been a slight overpay, but I’ll wait on judgment until seeing how the guaranteed money is allocated, as this contract could essentially be just a one-year deal.
Gross-Matos is another edge rusher who may not be a three-down player, although he’d be better primed for a base-down role than Floyd with his skillset and frame.
It feels that he has yet to truly break out as a pass-rusher, having recorded 19 pressures alongside his 4.5 sacks in 2023, which came with a 9.3 percent pass-rush win rate, according to PFF.
If the 49ers can unlock that element of Gross-Matos’s game, they’ll have multiple pass-rushing weapons in their arsenal in the rotation opposite of Nick Bosa, which they’ve constantly searched for.
Overall
While these two moves individually can have upside, it does feel a bit redundant to go after two different edge rushers that may primarily serve as pass-rushers, especially in a solid draft class of edge talent.
Now, the idea of going after two different players allows the 49ers to have more flexibility, as they won’t have significant money tied up to either contract should they need to move on from a deal next offseason, but you also question how much these deals move the needle for San Francisco.
They still have free agency needs, such as finding a third cornerback, a defensive tackle with both Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw gone, or potentially improving the offensive line, be it at center or guard, but those questions will have to be answered on Day 2 of free agency or later.
If I were to grade Day 1 for the 49ers, I’d probably hand out a B- for the two contracts, but everything is dependent on how San Francisco finishes out free agency.
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