On Monday morning, Leonard Fournette was released by the Jaguars. The 24-year-old running back will now be looking for a new team. Here are five potential landing spots for Leonard Fournette.
Washington cut Derrius Guice earlier this offseason, which could open them up to adding a running back. They do have some players in the backfield who are currently expected to get a lot of reps. Adrian Peterson, the ageless wonder, figures to get the carries with the first team. Bryce Love is finally healthy and should get some work. Antonio Gibson was drafted in the third round and will play both wide receiver and running back for the team. J.D. McKissic and Peyton Barber are also on the roster and have some experience
While they do already have some players on the roster, they may want to get Fournette on the team. Peterson is aging and may not have many years left. Love has yet to take an NFL snap yet and Gibson is going to be moved around on offense. McKissic and Barber are just going to be on the team for depth. If the Washington Football Team wants to improve the position, they can sign Fournette.
Doug Pederson (Photo by cnn.com)
The Eagles haven’t had much of a running game over the past few seasons. They drafted Miles Sanders last season and he split time with Jordan Howard. Howard is now in Miami, so Sanders and Boston Scott are the backs that will get the most work in Philadelphia.
Sanders played well down the stretch for the Eagles, but it is still a small sample size. Fournette could be an upgrade or they can split carriers. Sanders can be an every down back, while Fournette can be a power back for the team.
The Dolphins are in the middle of their rebuild and have a few running backs on the roster who can produce. Jordan Howard has bounced around the league and is on his third team. He has 3,895 rushing yards in his four seasons in the league. Matt Breida was acquired by the Dolphins this offseson and has 1,902 rushing yards in his career.
Fournette could be added to the mix as well. At 24 years old, Fournette could be a part of the rebuild in Miami. The other running backs on the roster are young too, but they both also missed time last year with injury. Fournette could be signed on a one-year, cheap deal and compete for carries.
Chicago has David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen, but neither played exceptionally well last season. Both backs do different things well, with Montgomery providing the smash and Cohen providing the dash. On paper, this duo should work out, but it hasn’t yet. Who to blame for them not living up to expectations is up for debate, but they could add another running back.
Montgomery had 889 rushing yards last season, but it was on just 3.7 yards per carry. Teams could stack the box with Mitch Trubisky and Montgomery couldn’t find much space. Fournette has faced similar issues in his career, but still averages 4.0 yards per carry. Fournette could be the power back in place of Montgomery, while Cohen keeps his role as the third-down back.
The Buccaneers have had quite the offseason. They added Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, which has made them contenders. With Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, the passing offense should be very productive. The running game has some questiona marks, which starts at running back.
Ronald Jones is the current starter, but he has struggled in the past. In two seasons, Jones has 768 rushing yards. He does provide a pass-catching running back, but the offense could benefit from a running back like Fournette who has proven to be able to handle the workload of a starting back.
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