After Leonard Fournette was shockingly released by the Jacksonville Jaguars, he is expected to sign a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The LSU product cleared waivers at 4:00 p.m. EST and became an unrestricted free agent.
The Buccaneers, since the addition of quarterback Tom Brady, have quickly transitioned to win-now mode and Fournette will help them do that. The running back is only on a one-year deal but was seemingly a low-risk signing for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
Incumbent starter Ronald Jones will likely still see the field often but Fournette will eat into his touches on first and second downs, likely making this pass-happy offense one to avoid. The signing is undeniably yet another knock on third-round rookie Ke’Shawn Vaughn, who started camp on the reserve/COVID-19 list only to find himself the odd man out when he returned. Dare Ogunbowale is expected to remain the team’s third-down option, potentially making LeSean McCoy a cut when the 53-man roster is finalized on Saturday.
Treat Fournette and Ronald Jones as RB2/RB3 options that could return high-end RB2 value if either missed time. But as it stands, they should split reps while the remainder of the backfield is off the fantasy radar.
