Chris Ivory and T.J. Yeldon on notice in 2017 after Jacksonville Jaguars add Leonard Fournette

The Jacksonville Jaguars have invested a lot in the running back position, but T.J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory are now officially on notice in 2017.

With the selection of Leonard Fournette, the Jacksonville Jaguars have effectively changed the overall approach of their offense. Under head coach Gus Bradley and his horrific defenses, the Jaguars have been forced to pass the ball at an unsustainable rate over the last 4 years.

While choosing Fournette seems like a big change for this regime, it’s not as if general manager David Caldwell has ignored the running back position. Caldwell invested a second round pick in T.J. Yeldon in 2015 and then spent a pretty penny to acquire veteran tailback Chris Ivory. The two seemed like a complementary duo that would shine, but it was an abject disaster in 2016. Now their prospects of living up to their initial capital are slim to none.

Daniel Kelley over at Pro Football Focus discussed the winners and losers from the draft (in terms of fantasy), and he labeled the incumbent Jaguars running backs as big losers.

"T.J. Yeldon/Chris Ivory, RBs, Jacksonville Jaguars: Obviously, the starting job in Jacksonville is now Leonard Fournette’s. It’s hard to imagine the Jaguars keeping both running backs around, and even if they do, man, there’s just nothing there for them anymore."

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Gregg Rosenthal over at NFL.come published a piece with a similar conceit (“collateral damage” from the draft), and

he also highlights that Ivory and Yeldon should be worried

"T.J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars: Remember back in 2015 when Jaguars general manager David Caldwell took Yeldon at No. 36 overall, over options like David Johnson, Jay Ajayi, Tevin Coleman and Duke Johnson? Caldwell’s selection of Leonard Fournette is a bid to help make everyone forget.Once considered a “safe” pick because he could do a little bit of everything, Yeldon doesn’t do anything at the pro level particularly well. Now he’ll be stuck in a clear backup role behind Fournette, a role that suits Yeldon’s skill set well."

I’d like to focus on the observation Rosenthal makes – in retrospect, the selection of Yeldon at the top of the second round now looks like one of the worst picks of that draft. Yeldon is at best a mediocre third down back at this point, while guys like David Johnson and Jay Ajayi are establishing themselves as top 5 backs. He’ll be on the roster this year, but next year is no guarantee.

The same goes for Ivory, who will be a good backup to Fournette this year but will absolutely not warrant the salary he carries. If he continues to struggle with injuries and ball security, he could be out the door as well.

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