Getty Leonard Fournette is looking for his first touchdown of the season.
The Eagles have been linked to signing another veteran running back. A big, bruising type of rusher to pair with Miles Sanders.
Philadelphia recently brought Super Bowl hero Corey Clement back on a team-friendly one-year deal. Clement never wanted to leave and instructed his agent not to negotiate with any other organizations. He wants to retire in midnight green and someday he might do that.
For now, the Eagles seem content at the running back position but never count out more depth. In fact, NFL Insider Adam Caplan threw out the possibility that the Eagles would be adding a veteran back “at some point” in a recent tweet.
Take it with a grain of salt, of course. But the Eagles would stand to benefit from adding a veteran presence who could grind out tough yards. Remember, they probably don’t win the Super Bowl in 2018 without LeGarrette Blount. He had 766 rushing yards that year, plus 133 yards and three touchdowns in the playoffs. There is one player available who could fill that role right now: Leonard Fournette.
The Jaguars declined the fifth-year option on Fournette and reportedly tried to trade him prior to the NFL Draft. The 25-year-old power runner is coming off a career year, too. He ran for 1,152 yards and three touchdowns last year for Jacksonville. Better yet, he’s due only $4.17 million in base salary in 2020 ($8.64 million against the salary cap, per Spotrac).
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Eagles Interested in Low-Risk Trade for Fournette?
When trade rumors first surfaced regarding Fournette’s future in Jacksonville, the Eagles immediately were mentioned as potential suitors. He could slide right into the role vacated by Jordan Howard after he left for Miami.
It’s an idea shared by SportsRadio 94WIP’s Joe Giglio, too. The local sports talker suggested the Eagles should explore swapping a sixth-round pick for Fournette. It would be the exact same deal they pulled off a year ago for Howard.
The Eagles should trade a sixth-round pick for Leonard Fournette. Can be this year’s Jordan Howard. Then let him walk into free agency.
The Eagles have invested a ton of resources in speed this offseason, most notably at the wide receiver spot. At running back? They’ll enter the 2020 campaign with speedsters Miles Sanders and Boston Scott, with Corey Clement and Elijah Holyfield mixing in. The team could get meaningful contributions from undrafted rookies Michael Warren and Adrian Killins, too. Either way, Fournette would fill a need.
Bruising Jaguars Running Back Ponders Future
Fournette is currently on the Jaguars roster and under contract through the end of the season. It’s assumed he’ll play out his rookie deal, one that paid him $27.1 million over four years. The LSU product was the fourth overall pick in the 2017 draft and has racked up 2,631 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns during that span.
Unlike Yannick Ngakoue — his frustrated teammate in Jacksonville — Fournette hasn’t stirred the pot or threatened to hold out. At least not yet. He did post the following message on Twitter last month: “I don’t know what the future holds but I promise that every day I’m gonna bust my ass. I know it’s a business and I’ll be ready at my best for the next season.”
That seems to indicate the 6-foot, 228-pound bruiser will be playing for the Jaguars in 2020. He sure would look pretty good in midnight green, though.
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