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The 2017 NFL Draft class took a big hit on Monday when the Jacksonville Jaguars waived running back Leonard Fourne tte, their former fourth overall pick. Fournette, 25 years old and listed at 6-foot-0, 228 pounds, gained a career-high 1,674 yards from scrimmage in 2019 but didn’t figure into Jacksonville’s plans moving forwards. Between unproductive stretches and clashes with Jaguars coaches and front office, they figured it was time to move on.
So would he fit with the New Orleans Saints? That’s the question on the minds of many LSU Tigers faithful who share their fandom with the black and gold. Fournette was a monstrous talent at the college level during his time in Baton Rouge, and hometown heroes like him (a New Orleans native who starred at St. Augustine High School) are easy to cheer for.
Unfortunately, it’s tough to see how Fournette would get on the field in New Orleans. He’s not going to take snaps away from Alvin Kamara, and Latavius Murray has a similar skills set with a broader body of work. That means Fournette would have to outplay Dwayne Washington on special teams (where he’s logged just four snaps in 36 regular season games) or bring some of the same versatility that Ty Montgomery has flashed in training camp. While Fournette made real growth as a receiver last year (catching 76 passes), his athletic profile and game tape is not going to be confused for Montgomery’s.
One of the players the Jaguars are giving a shot instead of Fournette is Devine Ozigbo, a second-year pro who impressed in Saints training camp last year. So if former Saints roster cuts are getting looks over Fournette, how much does he really have to add?
Fournette is going to test the waiver wire, and it’ll be curious to see which teams submit claims. Maybe the Saints will be one of the interested parties. Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said Monday morning that his team wasn’t able to garner any trade interest in Fournette before releasing him. Marrone sprung off of Sean Payton’s coaching tree way back when, so you’d think the Saints would have an inside track on the situation.
There’s an argument that he could be a better fit on the practice squad than undrafted rookie Tony Jones Jr., sure (due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teams are allowed to add multiple veteran players to the expanded practice squad). And he would definitely enjoy better production behind a strong Saints offensive line versus the patchwork Jaguars outfit. But he would still be the fourth- or fifth-ranked running back on the Saints depth chart, and it’s hard to get excited about someone who is such a long shot to get on the field.
Still, keep an eye out for when the waiver wire updates. Teams have a week to evaluate players during the final leg of training camp, and the Saints have given a lot of attention to the fringe of their depth chart before. It shouldn’t shock anyone if they do take a flier on Fournette, but fans should be careful to temper their expectations.
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