TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to go “all in” on the 2020 season, and it’s making for a very crowded backfield and an abundance of help for quarterback Tom Brady.
Nearly one month after signing six-time Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy, the Bucs reached an agreement Wednesday night with Leonard Fournette, he confirmed on social media.
.@Buccaneers ✍? #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/IEX9jXHQAf
— 7⃣ Leonard Fournette (@_fournette) September 3, 2020
The agreement is for one year and could be worth up to $3.5 million with incentives, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The fourth overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft, Fournette was waived Monday by the Jacksonville Jaguars after three seasons. The Jaguars had declined to pick up his fifth-year option in May and unsuccessfully tried to trade him. Fournette had his best season statistically in 2019, rushing for a career-best 1,152 yards, and catching 76 passes for 522 receiving yards, with three total touchdowns.
Fournette’s arrival most certainly signifies that cuts will be made in the Bucs’ running backs room, but it’s unclear who it will be. Ronald Jones was named the starter at the beginning of camp. McCoy has absorbed the playbook and performed well in the team’s scrimmage last week, getting work on all three downs. Dare Ogunbowale was the third-down back and captain on special teams last year whose hands have been reliable.
And in this year’s draft, the team selected Ke’Shawn Vaughn with a third-round draft pick and Raymond Calais with a seventh-rounder. With both getting slow starts to their NFL careers due to no offseason and beginning camp on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, it’s possible they could be put on the practice squad.
McCoy is the only one of that group to have rushed for 1,000 yards in an NFL season. The Bucs trust his hands, while Jones has worked diligently to improve his — a must with Brady at quarterback.
Between Fournette and McCoy, the Bucs now have two running backs who have combined for eight 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Tampa Bay has had a total of 12 1,000-yard rushing seasons in franchise history, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
The Bucs have averaged 3.7 yards per rush over the last three seasons — the worst mark in the NFL. While they were known for pushing the ball downfield with Jameis Winston, the offense has taken more of a balanced approach with Brady since he signed with the team during the offseason.
Fournette had at times a rocky tenure in Jacksonville.
On Monday, after the Jags waived the running back, coach Doug Marrone said that despite Fournette’s productivity, he thought the move was “the best decision for us as a team.” He added that it was strictly an on-field decision to waive him.
Fournette’s tenure in Jacksonville took a turn in 2018, which ended up being the worst season of the former LSU star’s football life. There were injuries and a suspension, and he was on the bench in crunch time. He was fined, criticized and admittedly not in ideal shape late in the year.
Adding to the chaos, Fournette was arrested in April 2019 for driving with a suspended license.
He responded in 2019 with a career season in which he topped 1,600 yards from scrimmage in 15 games, rushing 265 times for 1,152 yards and catching 76 passes for 522 yards.
Information from ESPN’s Michael DiRocco was used in this report.
