Why moving forward with Leonard Fournette is a good thing
Does the news this week of the Jacksonville Jaguars front office and Leonard Fournette sitting down to clear the air mean the franchise will keep the running back for the 2019 season?
As reported by Ian Rapoport, the Jacksonville Jaguars and running back Leonard Fournette are moving forward with each other in 2019. The move is a good sign for the Jaguars’ future. If Fournette can show he is more mature as a player both on and off the field, then the running game for this franchise should get a boost like it did in 2017.
Leonard Fournette missed seven games this past season due to injury and one due to suspension. While he was not the sole reason the Jaguars offense was enemic the majority of the season, the team did not make proper adjustments for when No. 27 was off the field.
There is no doubt having Fournette in the lineup gives the Jaguars offense an identity. The idea of being a run-first team must continue to be built around the former first-round draft pick out of LSU.
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Here are a few reasons I think the team keeping Fournette for next season is a good thing
Yeldon to hit Free Agency – It appears that T.J. Yeldon will be with another team at the start of the 2019 season. Yeldon is a free agent and the money that the dual-threat running back will demand will more than likely be well-above the Jaguars’ available offer.
This means having Fournette will be more valuable than ever. Without Fournette and assuming Yeldon is gone, the only viable running back on Jaguars’ roster would be Carlos Hyde. Knowing Leonard Fournette will be moving forward with the team in 2019 provides much more skill and assurance at the position.
Less Stress for the QB – For whoever will be the Jaguars starting quarterback in 2019, having a solid rushing attack would make a huge difference in his game and the offensive playbook.
Having a workhorse back like Fournette immediately brings respect for the rush from opposing defenses, which opens things up. Along with many offensive linemen returning from injury next season the Jaguars rushing attack will look more like its 2017-2018 form, providing next season’s starting quarterback with comfort.
Follow Your Identity – When the Jaguars took Fournette with the fourth overall pick in 2017, they showed the NFL that their plan would be to play stout defense and drain opposing defenses with their ground and pound style.
dark. Next. Being Jaguars general manager for a day
Going into 2019 the team is still built with the same mentality with Fournette as the key part of that entire plan. Moving on from Fournette would have been a major blow to that identity and would send the team backward.