Tag: Leonard Fournette

Could Leonard Fournette be joining other former LSU stars with Bengals?

Could the Bengals be adding yet another former LSU star to their offense?

According to reports, former LSU star running back Leonard Fournette is working out with the Cincinnati Bengals. Fournette is yet to play in 2024, but the Bengals running back depth has taken a hit in recent weeks and Cincinnati is looking to beef up its backfield.

Some LSU fans already have a certain affinity for the Bengals thanks to Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. The addition of Fournette would give the Bengals offense another LSU legend.

At 4-6, the Bengals are out of the NFC North race but a wild card birth remains a possibility, especially with Burrow playing at an MVP level.

In seven NFL seasons, Fournette has 1,144 attempts for 4,518 yards. He has two 1,000-yard seasons and won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.

Fournette wouldn’t be the only back Cincy added in recent days after the Bengals traded for the Bears’ Khalil Herbert last week.

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Bengals hosting veteran RB Leonard Fournette for a workout

The Cincinnati Bengals are hosting veteran running back Leonard Fournette for a workout, according to Tom Pelissero, as the team is still looking for more help in the backfield and could add the 29-year-old to the practice squad. The Bengals went …

The Cincinnati Bengals are hosting veteran running back Leonard Fournette for a workout, according to Tom Pelissero, as the team is still looking for more help in the backfield and could add the 29-year-old to the practice squad.

The Bengals went out at the trade deadline and added Khalil Herbert after Zack Moss was placed on injured reserve with a neck injury, but Fournette could soon be another option behind Chase Brown.

Fournette, a former No. 4 overall pick in the 2017 draft, has been in the league for seven seasons, but only played in two games last year with the Buffalo Bills, rushing for 40 yards on 12 attempts. With the Jaguars and Buccaneers for six seasons, Fournette played in 79 games and ran for 4,478 yards and 34 touchdowns while catching 312 passes for 2,219 yards and seven touchdowns through the air.

Without much depth at running back right now, the Bengals could be hoping that Fournette would provide some more at a position where they are 29th in the league in rushing yards with just 89.7 per game.

LSU OC Joe Sloan to attend Bryce Underwood’s playoff game on Friday

LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan will be in Michigan to watch Bryce Underwood play on Friday

The [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag] sweepstakes is heating up. The five-star QB and No. 1 overall prospect in the country committed to LSU in January. Underwood has held firm on his pledge, but Michigan is making one last run at the in-state star.

We’re just over a month from signing day and LSU is taking advantage of its bye week to check in on Underwood — LSU offensive coordinator [autotag]Joe Sloan[/autotag] will attend Underwood’s playoff game on Friday night.

According to On3, LSU’s 2025 recruiting class ranks No. 4 in the country. Underwood is the headlining piece.

Sloan’s visit comes at a pivotal time. Michigan’s push seems legit, and while LSU will host Underwood in Baton Rouge next weekend, Sloan’s trip should help keep LSU in the driver’s seat.

Underwood is set to be one of the biggest recruits in LSU football history. Landing the nation’s top QB would be a first for the Tigers. Underwood would arrive with similar hype to previous recruits like [autotag]Leonard Fournette[/autotag] and [autotag]Derek Stingley Jr.[/autotag]

The next two weeks will be pivotal for Underwood’s recruitment, especially with Michigan pushing hard for a visit.

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Bucs RB Sean Tucker named NFC Offensive Player of the Week

Headlining the team with 136 rushing yards, three receptions for 56 yards, and two total touchdowns was Bucs running back Sean Tucker.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers set a franchise record with 594 net yards of offense in Sunday’s 51-27 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

While the Saints’ defense posted a box score that showed three interceptions, they had no answer for the Bucs’ offensive attack. Headlining the team with 136 rushing yards, three receptions for 56 yards, and two total touchdowns was Bucs running back Sean Tucker, who has been named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 6.

Not only did the second-year running back gash the Saints defense, averaging a sweltering 9.7 yards per carry on 14 carries, but Tucker’s 192 yards from scrimmage were also the third-highest in a single game through six weeks of the 2024 NFL season, trailing only Derrick Henry’s 209-yard and Ja’Marr Chase’s 193-yard performances.

Following Tucker’s dominating performance, he entered elite company, becoming the fourth RB in Bucs franchise history (Doug Martin x2, Warrick Dunn x2, and James Wilder) to total 192+ yards from scrimmage.

Adding further to the impressive resume that Tucker built in Week 6, this becomes the first Offensive Player of the Week award that a Bucs running back has won since Leonard Fournette against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12 of 2021.

Former Bucs RB Leonard Fournette visiting the Indianapolis Colts

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Super Bowl-winning running back Leonard Fournette is visiting with the Indianapolis Colts on Monday.

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Super Bowl-winning running back Leonard Fournette is visiting with the Indianapolis Colts on Monday. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the news of the visit.

Fournette started his career in Jacksonville with the Jaguars when he was drafted fourth overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. He played with them for three seasons before signing with the Buccaneers just before the start of the 2020 season.

Fournette spent three seasons with the Buccaneers from 2020 to 2022. He joined the team with other veteran players after the signing of Tom Brady that offseason and won Super Bowl LV. During his time with the team, he ran for 1,847 yards and found the endzone 17 times.

After the 2022 season, Fournette signed with the Buffalo Bills and played in two games with them.

He could now find himself back in the AFC South if he does sign with them. Whether or not he would get much work behind Jonathan Taylor is yet to be seen.

Report: RB Leonard Fournette visiting with Colts

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, veteran RB Leonard Fournette is visiting with the Indianapolis Colts.

Free agent running back Leonard Fournette is reportedly visiting with the Indianapolis Colts on Monday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Fournette, a 2017 first-round pick by Jacksonville, spent his first three NFL seasons with the Jaguars. From 2020-2022, he was with Tampa Bay, which included winning a Super Bowl, and then in 2023, Fournette would appear in two games with the Buffalo Bills.

For his career, Fournette has totaled over 5,100 rushing yards at 4.0 yards per attempt with 43 touchdowns.

The 2022 season with the Buccaneers is where he has seen the most opportunities as of late, appearing in 16 games while averaging 3.5 yards per attempt on 194 carries with three scores.

GM Chris Ballard recently mentioned that he does like the Colts’ running back room behind Jonathan Taylor. However, it is a fairly inexperienced group as well.

Between Trey Sermon, Tyler Goodson, and Evan Hull, who is on the practice squad, the trio has 92 career regular season carries and 20 total targets in the passing game.

If the Colts end up signing Fournette to the 53-man roster, a corresponding cut will have to be made to make room. If signed to the practice squad, the Colts may have one spot open currently if Marcel Dabo is playing on the International Pathway exemption. If he’s not, then a corresponding practice squad cut would have to be made as well.

As of now, all we know is that this is just a visit between Fournette and the Colts. We will see if anything comes of it.

Mike Chappel would report that in addition to Fournette, the Colts also worked out another “half-dozen” players as well.

LSU’s 2025 class building momentum for elite 2026 class

Louisiana’s 2026 recruiting class gives LSU the chance at another elite group.

LSU’s 2025 recruiting class is shaping up to be the best in Brian Kelly’s career and the best LSU’s had in a long time.

Its led by five-star QB and No. 1 overall recruit [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag]. He’s joined by two more five-stars in CB [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag] and RB [autotag]Harlem Berry[/autotag]. Both players are considered the top recruits at their respective positions too.

The 2025 class is far from finished. With just 18 commits, LSU will look to add more. Ensuring the current commits make it past the finish line is critical too.

But it’s never too early to look ahead to 2026 when LSU could assemble a class just as strong. Louisiana is set to have one of its best high school crops ever next year, setting LSU up for another elite haul.

According to On3, 247Sports and Rivals, defensive lineman [autotag]Jahkeem Stewart[/autotag] is the top player in the country. Stewart hails from St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, a place that produced the No. 1 overall recruit 10 years ago in [autotag]Leonard Fournette[/autotag].

Stewart gives LSU the chance to land the nation’s top player in back-to-back classes. There’s a long way to go in his recruitment, but the On3 Crystal Ball gives LSU a 90.9% chance of landing Stewart. Underwood and Stewart in consecutive years is the type of core you can build a national title team around.

Stewart isn’t the only Louisiana product in the top 10. Offensive lineman [autotag]Lamar Brown[/autotag] sits at No. 5 overall. Given how strong LSU offensive line coach [autotag]Brad Davis[/autotag] is at recruiting Louisiana, it would be hard to imagine Brown going anywhere else.

Not further down the list, Baton Rouge safety [autotag]Blaine Bradford[/autotag] is on his way to earning a five-star. He’s out of Catholic High School, where LSU has several previous connections.

LSU has three five-stars committed in 2025 and the Tigers may not even leave the state to reach that total in 2026. With Stewart, Brown and Bradford, LSU can land the strongest core the state’s produced in some time.

There’s also OT [autotag]Brysten Martinez[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Aiden Hall[/autotag], two more top 50 recruits in Louisiana.

What might have LSU fans particularly excited is how good the Louisiana defensive tackle group is in 2026. Stewart’s at the top, but [autotag]Richard Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Dylan Berymon[/autotag] and [autotag]Darryus McKinley[/autotag] are three more top 300 prospects that LSU won’t have to go far to get.

Davis was able to turn around LSU’s offensive line after he capitalized on a strong 2022 Louisiana class that included [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag] and [autotag]Emery Jones Jr.[/autotag]. The 2026 class can have a similar impact on the defensive side for [autotag]Bo Davis[/autotag].

The 2026 cycle has barely begun, but if LSU seizes on the momentum of 2025, it will be another special group. Kelly landed top 10 classes in 2023 and 2024. He came to LSU to work with this caliber of talent.

But there’s a difference between a top-five class and a top-two or three class. Top-five classes keep you in contention, but top-three classes allow you to compete with Georgia. That’s where Kelly and LSU look to be headed.

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Former 1st-round pick Leonard Fournette attempting a comeback

Former 1st-round pick Leonard Fournette attempting a comeback after barely playing in 2023

It doesn’t feel that long ago that running back Leonard Fournette was known as “Playoff Lenny” and partially putting the eventual Super Bowl champion Buccaneers on his back during their playoff run. Now two years removed from his last real starting gig, Fournette is looking to make an impact for a team heading into the 2024 season.

While Fournette did spend some time in Buffalo last season, he barely saw snaps and was more of a reserve back for the team. If Fournette can get back into football shape at only 29 years old, it wouldn’t be far fetched to see him be in a rotation for for a running back needy team before the season.

The former fourth overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft will look to tap into some of the potential we saw at LSU and hope to improve what has been a bit of a disappointing NFL career to this point.

Why Leonard Fournette isn’t a good option for the Bears

While Leonard Fournette still might have some left in the tank, the Bears don’t make sense as a landing spot for the free agent RB.

NFL veteran running back Lenoard Fournette is looking for his next NFL home, according to ESPN insider Adam Schefter. He intends to sign with a team before the season, claiming that he’s in the best shape of his career. We’ve all heard the famous line before.

While the Chicago Bears are always looking to improve at every position, they need to stay away from a signing like this right now. With newcomer D’Andre Swift on board and the returns of Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson, there is no reason to consider spending money on a running back. That is especially true for a running back currently in the situation that Fournette is in.

“Leonard’s in the best shape of his career and I expect he will have a new home soon,” Fournette’s agent Ari Nissim told Schefter.

Fournette played the first three years of his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars before spending the next three years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the Bucs, he was a big part of winning the Super Bowl alongside Tom Brady. That’s some nice experience to bring to the table, but it isn’t worth it for Chicago.

Last year, Fournette appeared in two games with the Buffalo Bills. He totaled 12 carries for 40 yards and never found his way into the endzone. It isn’t the most promising situation of all time.

While Fournette still might have some left in the tank, the Bears don’t make sense as a landing spot, especially considering their focus should be adding another pass rusher to the roster.

Report: Former Jaguars RB ‘motivated’ to continue NFL career

Report: Former Jaguars RB ‘motivated’ to continue NFL career

Leonard Fournette isn’t giving up on his NFL career.

After spending half of the 2023 season on Buffalo’s practice squad and appearing in only two games, the former first-round, No. 4 overall selection by Jacksonville is “motivated” and hopes to sign with a team before the 2024 campaign, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Fournette has changed representation, hiring his former agent with Roc Nation, Ari Nissim, and Pat Capra of Legend Agency to aid in his career revival efforts.

“Leonard’s in the best shape of his career and I expect he will have a new home soon,” Nissim said via Schefter.

Fournette signed with Buffalo after his release by Tampa Bay last offseason. He spent three seasons with the Buccaneers, joining them in 2020 during the franchise’s Super Bowl LV run with Tom Brady at quarterback.

But it was with the Jaguars when Fournette was his most productive, over his first three NFL seasons between 2017-19. He was a key cog in Jacksonville’s offense during its run to the 2017-18 AFC Championship game, rushing for 1,282 yards and 13 touchdowns between the regular and postseason as a rookie.

Through three regular seasons with the Jaguars, Fournette rushed 666 times for 2,631 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also posted 174 receptions for 1,009 yards and two scores.

The relationship soured along the way, however, with the Jaguars voiding Fournette’s contract guarantees following his 2018 suspension for fighting.

The team also fined him $99,000 for “selfish” behavior in the season finale that year — an inactive Fournette was observed sitting on the team bench during the game. But an NFLPA grievance overturned the punishment in 2019.

Unable to find a trade partner, Jacksonville waived Fournette during the 2020 preseason, with former head coach Doug Marrone citing performance as the reason for his release. The club’s decision was solidified with the emergence of then-rookie, undrafted free-agent James Robinson at running back.

Fournette has generated 4,518 yards and 34 touchdowns rushing and caught 312 passes for 2,219 yards and seven touchdowns over 81 career NFL appearances.