Michael Floyd

Floyd failed to revive his career with the Vikings in 2017, catching 10 passes for 78 yards in 11 games. He then struggled to find a home in the offseason, eventually landing with the Saints after training camp was already underway. The 28-year-old wideout now faces an uphill battle to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.

Floyd, who was released by the Cardinals almost immediately after being arrested for an extreme DUI last December, has been brought in by his hometown team after a brief stint in New England to compete for the No. 3 spot at wide receiver behind Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. Floyd, a first-round pick in the 2012, has racked up 24 career touchdowns through five seasons as a downfield threat. However, starting quarterback Sam Bradford's propensity to favor short routes could limit Floyd's upside, given the fact he averaged at least 16 yards per reception during three of his seasons in Arizona's vertical passing game. Overall, second-year wideout Laquon Treadwell may initially win the battle for No. 3 on the depth chart, but Floyd has the experience and natural talent to eventually compete for his fair share of targets.

It's hard to think of a receiver who's had a more up-and-down career than Floyd. After being drafted 13th overall in 2012 and having a surprisingly modest role, Floyd broke out in 2013 and looked to be on the cusp of superstardom. Then the team went away from him again in 2014, even though he was the only efficient and productive option it had. Dislocated fingers slowed him for the first three weeks last season, and it took two more before the Cardinals remembered they had a 6-3, 225-pound freak with 4.40 speed in whom they had invested a mid-first-round pick. From Week 6 on, Floyd had six touchdowns and five 100-yard games, despite playing through hamstring and knee injuries and also missing a game. At season's end, Floyd averaged 16.3 YPC and 9.5 YPT and made three catches of 40-plus yards on modest (89 targets) volume. The question for 2016 is how the Cardinals will apportion targets between Floyd and teammates John Brown and Larry Fitzgerald. It's likely Fitzgerald's steadiness and stature as a possession receiver will make him the top dog, but there's a big difference between a 150-120-90 split and a more equitable one where all three are closer to 120.

After a second-year breakout in 2013, Floyd seemed like a good bet to join the receiving elite last season, but it wasn't to be. Quarterback Carson Palmer missed most of the year with injuries, and the team also became enamored with rookie John Brown, spreading the targets more or less evenly between him, Floyd and veteran Larry Fitzgerald. As a result, Floyd saw only 99 targets in a passing game that averaged just 7.0 YPA (21st). All wasn't lost, however, as Floyd finished second in YPC with 17.9, maintained a solid per-play average of 8.5 YPT and tied for fourth with six catches of 40-plus, despite the modest workload. At 6-3, 225, with 4.40 speed, Floyd is one of the rare athletic freaks in the league, arguably surpassed only by Julio Jones and Calvin Johnson, but he saw only seven targets in the red zone and none from inside the 10. Meanwhile, Fitzgerald saw only 12 and 3, respectively, so the problem was largely due to having the league's 24th-ranked offense in addition to spreading the reps. While Palmer's expected return should provide a significant boost to the offense, Fitzgerald restructured his contact to return to Arizona, and Brown should remain in the mix in Year 2. But given Fitzgerald's advancing age (32 in August) and Brown's more limited skill set, there's a decent chance Floyd picks up where he left off in 2013.

While Floyd might not overtake Larry Fitzgerald in targets this year, he could easily out-produce him. Despite seeing only 112 passes thrown his way, Floyd was the only Cardinals receiver to crack 1,000 yards, thanks to 16.0 YPC (5th) and 9.3 YPT. He also had 16 catches of 20 or more yards (T. 16th) to Fitzgerald’s eight. Of course, Fitzgerald scored twice as many touchdowns, thanks to his 22 red-zone looks to Floyd’s 12. But at 6-3, 225, Floyd is equally suited to end-zone work, and while the distribution might not be 50/50, it figures to get more even as Floyd further establishes himself in Year 3. Unlike Fitzgerald, Floyd can actually run – his 4.4 40 is blazing for a receiver his size. Carson Palmer isn’t an especially good quarterback these days, but he should be competent enough not to hamper the development of a potential star.

It's unclear why the Cardinals drafted Floyd No. 13 overall and then kept him on the sidelines for so much of the year. When they finally did turn him loose, the results weren't especially impressive other than a Week 17 game against the Niners in which he caught a Hail Mary. But the quarterbacking was so horrible in Arizona that Floyd's poor efficiency numbers (6.5 YPT) have to be graded on a sliding scale. Consider that superstar Larry Fitzgerald posted a miserable 5.1 YPT on that team, and Andre Roberts' 6.7 YPT was also below par. There are three reasons for optimism for Floyd in particular and the Arizona passing game in general this year: (1) They shored up their abysmal offensive line by drafting guard Jonathan Cooper; (2) They traded for a NFL-caliber quarterback, albeit one past his prime, in Carson Palmer; and (3) they fired Ken Whisenhunt, who buried Floyd from the start. At 6-3, 220, Floyd is a huge target and also has good speed (4.47 40) for a player his size. Fitzgerald is still likely to dominate the targets, but there's a good chance Floyd sees more looks than Roberts, and the Cardinals lack pass-catching backs and quality receiving tight ends to siphon off production. Finally, new head coach Bruce Arians was a former wide receiver coach in Pittsburgh (and interim head coach for the pass-happy Colts last year), so we're likely to see a renewed emphasis on the passing game.

The 13th overall pick in this year’s draft, Floyd finds himself in a favorable situation in Arizona. Given the team’s lack of quality depth at wide receiver, Floyd has a chance to start opposite Larry Fitzgerald out of the gate. That means a lot of single coverage and a fair number of targets on a team that doesn’t throw much to its backs or tight ends. At 6-3, 220, and running a 4.47 40, Floyd is an athletic playmaker and solid route-runner. He’s got good hands and excellent ball skills, a problem for smaller defenders. He’s also tough to bring down after the catch. Of course, Andre Roberts and Early Doucet are still around, so Floyd isn’t a lock to start right away, and neither quarterback vying for the job – Kevin Kolb or John Skelton – is above average.