By Jordan Long
Every NFL team needs to be down to 53 players on September 5th by the 2 PM Mountain Time deadline. The Jaguars have decided to wave running back Leonard Fournette. They tried to trade him but a deal never materialized.
Fournette was drafted by the Jaguars 4th overall in the 2017 NFL draft. Jacksonville thought he could improve their running game. He ran for 3,830 yards and 40 touchdowns at LSU. They also expected him to help in the passing game to catch passes out of the backfield. In college, he totaled 41 catches for 526 yards and 1 touchdown.
In his rookie year, Fournette ran for 1,040 yards and 9 touchdowns. When it came to catching the football, he caught 36 footballs for 302 yards and 1 touchdown. This was the player Jacksonville had envisioned when they selected him. Jacksonville even made it to the AFC Championship Game that year but were beaten by the New England Patriots.
The next year Fournette wasn’t the same. He missed half the year dealing with a right hamstring injury. He was still able to carry the rock for 439 yards and a career high 5 touchdowns.
Last season was his best as a pro. Fournette rushed for 1,152 yards and 3 touchdowns. He even hulled in 76 catches for 522 yards. Fournette proved to be Jacksonville’s best running back on the team. Going into this year, the Jaguars declined his 5th year option on his rookie deal which meant he would be a free agent in 2021. Jacksonville was looking to trade him to another team in the offseason to get even a draft pick back but it never happened.
Jacksonville decided it was time to let him go. According to ESPN, Head Coach Doug Marrone said, “At the end of the day, we feel … the skill sets of the guys that we have [can replace Fournette], and really that’s what led to the decision. And it’s been something that we’ve done it with every single position we’ve been looking at. We’ve done cutups, we’ve done tapes, we’ve gone back, we’ve looked at everything, what we’ve tried to get done. So it’s not just the running back position; it’s all positions. And I wanted to make sure we had the best look of, hey, what’s going on right now? That’s the best indication of what we’re going to be able to get when we start this season, and I just feel that was the best — is what’s best for our team.”
Fournette is now on waivers for any team to pick up. He has proven to be an athlete who could help a team’s running game. Fournette can block, giving the quarterback more time to throw the football. If he is picked up by a franchise, a team would have to pay him $4.17 million which is what is left on his current contract. There is the possibility he clears waivers meaning he is a free agent and a team can negotiate a deal with him.
The downside with him is his attitude. He was suspended one game in 2018 for fighting then Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson during Jacksonville’s week 12’s 24-21 loss. Fournette was deactivated for one game in 2017 because he skipped out on the team photo.
This gives Fournette a fresh start on a new team assuming a franchise picks him up. It could be a rental for a year or a few seasons. Teams may wait until after the 5th of September to sign him. They will know their team better at that date.
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