Patriots Claim Michael Floyd After Being Released from Cardinals

On Thursday it was announced that the New England Patriots have claimed wide receiver Michael Floyd off waivers from the Arizona Cardinals.

Why was Floyd waived?

The Cardinals released the talented pass-catcher on Wednesday after Floyd was arrested for a DUI early Monday morning. He was reportedly found by police sleeping behind the wheel at an intersection in Scottsdale. He was booked and released later that day, but not before being charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and failure to obey a police officer.

This is not the first time Floyd has run into problems with the law. He was arrested during his time at Notre Dame back in 2011 for a DUI, as well, when his blood alcohol level was reportedly about twice the legal limit. That earned him an indefinite suspension from the Fighting Irish.

The Cardinals would go on to draft him with the 13th overall selection in the 2012 Draft. The team had visions of him one day replacing All-Pro wideout Larry Fitzgerald as their No. 1 wide receiver of the future, but it never materialized.

Floyd’s best season as a pro came in his second campaign with the Cardinals when he caught 65 passes for 1,041 yards with five touchdowns. Since then, though, he has battled a few injury issues and has never been able to establish himself as a consistent source of production.

The Cardinals have been one of the NFL’s most disappointing teams so far this season, and Floyd is a major factor. He caught just 33 passes for 446 yards and four touchdown in 13 games with Arizona this season.

This latest arrest was clearly the last straw for the team, and the front office and coaching staff finally agreed to move on from him. They placed him on waivers on Wednesday before New England was awarded the claim on Thursday afternoon.

What can Floyd bring to the Pats?

While Floyd has not been particularly productive for the entirety of his career, there is no questioning his talent. He’s quite physically imposing at 6’2” and 220 pounds, with the speed to make him a real danger in the open field.

Inconsistent quarterback play from Carson Palmer this season has negatively affected his output. That should not be an issue with the Patriots, though, as Tom Brady is enjoying yet another stellar individual campaign. Despite having been without Rob Gronkowski on several occasions thanks to a slew of injuries, Brady is still completing better than 68 percent of his throws for 2,876 yards with 22 touchdowns in only nine games.

Floyd figures to step right in and see playing time among a fairly mediocre group of pass-catchers in New England. Julian Edelman is their leading receiver with 791 yards to this point. Floyd will give the Patriots’ a much-needed vertical threat, especially in light of Gronkowski’s unavailability moving forward.

New England will owe Floyd $861,176 over the course of the remainder of the season.