Leonard Fournette Weighs 260 Pounds Before Training Camp
Reports coming from Tampa Bay do not sound great for Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette. According to long-time Buccaneers beat reporter Rick Stroud, Fournette currently weighs slightly under 260 pounds. Unsurprisingly, the Buccaneers coaching staff is not happy with Fournette’s current weight.
“The last time we saw Leonard Fournette he was about a donut shy of 260,” Stroud said. “He certainly didn’t look like a guy who could play every down.”
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Needless to say, 260 pounds is not the ideal shape for Fournette. The Buccaneers roster has Fournette listed at 228 pounds. That is a 32-pound difference. The Tampa Bay coaching staff is unhappy with the entire situation surrounding Fournette’s offseason.
“Coaches were not happy, and that’s an understatement, when he didn’t participate in the OTAs, but then he shows up at the mandatory minicamp weighing damn near 260,” Stroud said. “And that’s not a good sign for a guy that you just spent a three-year contract on.”
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As Stroud mentioned, Fournette did not participate in any voluntary team activities. When he showed up for mandatory minicamp his weight struggles were evident. This is not good news for the Buccaneers. Earlier this offseason, Fournette re-signed with Tampa Bay on a three-year, $21 million dollar extension. Meanwhile, fellow running back Ronald Jones left Tampa Bay, as he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. Because of this, Fournette was set to see a lot of touches this season.
Up to this point, Fournette and Tampa Bay have made a great pair. After being released by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Fournette saw a career resurgence with the Buccaneers. However, now there are plenty of questions surrounding Fournette. Weight issues are never a great sign, but it is even worse considering that there have been questions surrounding Fournette’s work ethic in the past.
Fournette does have time to turn the ship around. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will open the season on September 11 against the Dallas Cowboys. This gives Fournette nearly two months to drop the extra pounds. If he is not in playing shape, Rachaad White, Ke’Shawn Vaughn, and Giovanni Bernard will have to take some of the workload out of the backfield.
