With the 2020 NFL Draft coming up Thursday trade rumors are going to be at their strongest point of the offseason. One name that popped up over the weekend on the Jacksonville Jaguars end is running back Leonard Fournette, who the Jags are open to moving, per ESPN insider Adam Schefter.
Of course, with that news surfacing, many have been left to wonder what teams are suitors, so we did our homework and came up with a couple of teams in the AFC and a couple in the NFC:
Tampa Bay Bucs
With Tom Brady behind center, it’s hard to say whether or not Fournette would get the rushing touches he’d like but he’d definitely be appealing because of his dual-threat ability. One of the underrated aspects of Fournette’s game is his pass-catching ability and that could appeal to Bruce Arians, Brady, and company.
Considering Brady’s age (42), I’m sure adding some help to their run game is something in the back of the minds of the Bucs’ decision-makers. Adding a workhorse back like Fournette should help ease those concerns as he could be paired up with Ronald Jones to make one of the league’s best rushing duos.
Seattle Seahawks
Would anyone be shocked if Pete Carroll took a swing at Fournette granted his track record? I think we could all agree with a simple “no.”
While Fournette hasn’t had the past that Marshawn Lynch has, he’s a prime example of Carroll being willing to take a chance on a player who has made some mistakes in the past. It’s also worth noting that the Seahawks are a little crowded in the backfield, however, Chris Carson (ACL tear) and Rashaad Penny (fractured hip) are coming off injuries that placed them on injured reserve.
That said, Fournette would provide the roster with a healthy option early in the season if they feel shaky about Carson and Penny. However, if Seattle is confident in the health of both, maybe they would elect to pass.
Buffalo Bills
Under coach Sean McDermott the Buffalo Bills have proven to be a smash-mouth team and finished the 2019 season seventh in rushing. That was despite not having a 1,000-yard rusher as rookie Devin Singletary missed some games and finished with 775 total yards. Their next leading rusher was veteran Frank Gore (599 yards), who is currently a free agent.
All of that said, inserting Fournette into the mix to replace Gore could make the Bills’ offense even stronger. When adding in how sporadic quarterback Josh Allen has been and his 56.3% career completion rate, one could especially see them trying to make things easier for him through adding weapons.
It also helps that the Bills’ general manager, Brandon Beane, has done his research on Fournette during the 2017 draft process. While with the Carolina Panthers, Beane studied him alongside Christian McCaffrey. Despite McCaffrey getting the nod, one could see them being impressed with Fournette as well.
Miami Dolphins
Whether it’s Tua Tagovailoa or another first-round pick, the Miami Dolphins need to surround their future quarterback with some weapons. While they added Jordan Howard this offseason, it’s unclear if he can be a No. 1 running back who can consistently put up 1,000 yards, so why not pair him with Fournette?
Additionally, Fournette is probably better than any top-2 round selection they could get in the draft and likely wouldn’t cost much more than a fifth or fourth-round pick. For a team with over $19.2 million in cap space and the most draft picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, it definitely wouldn’t hurt for the Dolphins to take a chance on Fournette.
