You want to talk about news to wake up to in the morning. This is it right here. The Jaguars have released starting running back Leonard Fournette. Earlier in the offseason, Jacksonville shopped Fournette but failed to find a trade partner. With the season just a few days away, Fournette has been straight up released.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Network was the first to report the news:
Fournette, 25, was set to have a make or break year. Jacksonville took Fournette with the 4th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He’s failed to even come close to those expectations. Fournette had a pretty good rookie year but has been a disaster since.
Personally, I think it’s an effort issue. Fournette averaged 3.3 yards per carry in 2018 which is flat out unacceptable with someone with his talent. 4.3 yards per carry is better but Fournette lacked explosion. It goes back to that combine performance where the former LSU running back just showed up out of shape. I made a note of it but others should have deemed it more of a red flag.
The Jags will now go with a cast that includes Ryquell Armstead, James Robinson, Chris Thompson and Devine Ozigbo. Of course, Jacksonville could sign someone else that get cut which seems likely given that group. However, I’m very high on Ryquell Armstead. The man runs hard and was maybe my favorite back in his draft class.
Outside of that, James Robinson is a big bruiser from Illinois State. Maybe he’s a goal line guy? Chris Thompson will probably do his normal pass catching work.
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