The Buffalo Bills are signing free-agent running back Leonard Fournette ahead of their huge Week 9 Sunday-night matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.
“BREAKING: Leonard Fournette tells me he’s in Buffalo and is planning to sign with the #Bills today, pending a physical,” Bleacher Report NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported on Monday. “‘Playoff Lenny' had nearly 1,200 all-purpose yards, including a career-high 523 receiving yards, along with 6 TDs last season.”
The Bills have struggled in the run game this season, with James Cook and Latavius Murray getting the majority of the workload. Plus, offseason free-agent pickup Damien Harris is out indefinitely after the running back had to go to the hospital with a neck injury in the team's Week 6 game versus the New York Giants.
In Fournette, the Bills get a proven veteran heading into his seventh NFL season.
During his previous six campaigns for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Fournette has racked up 4,478 rushing yards on 1,132 carries, 312 catches for 2,219 yards, and 41 total touchdowns.
Even more intriguing for the Bills is that Fournette has earned the nickname “Playoff Lenny” for his postseason exploits with Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. In the Bucs Super Bowl season of 2020, Fournette had 64 postseason carries for 300 yards with 18 catches for 148 yards and four touchdowns.
Leading up to the 2023 NFL trade deadline, there was a lot of speculation about the Bills possibly trading for a big-name back like Derrick Henry or Dalvin Cook. Signing Fournette likely means Buffalo is out on those types of deals, and the veteran back should help the team's rushing attack improve.
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