Another significant free agent signing can hugely alter the fate of an NFL team in the upcoming season. Recently, the entire league was intrigued when the Jacksonville Jaguars decided to release fourth-year veteran running back Leonard Fournette from the team.
However, he wasn't left out in the cold for long. He was subsequently picked up by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers shortly after he cleared his waivers from the Jaguars. His arrival would be a welcome addition to the Bucs' already loaded arsenal for the upcoming season.
As it stands today, there is nowhere to go but up for Fournette who now has found a new home to settle in. A change in scenery could make all the difference in changing the trajectory of his promising young career moving forward.
With Leonard Fournette officially a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it's for some bold predictions.
3. His name will be kept out of controversy
During the recent offseason, Lournette reportedly lobbied for the Jaguars to acquire then-free agent quarterback Cam Newton. This created a stir within the team that the running back was not in agreement with the team brass' choice to name sophomore quarterback Gardner Minshew as the starting playmaker of the Jaguars.
He further explained that his frustrations all stemmed from his desire to win. It can be recalled that the Jaguars had narrowly missed the Super Bowl LII stage due to the dominant New England Patriots. After the loss, the team decided to take a surprising change of direction and dealt all their important pieces away. The Jaguars went from a 10-7 playoff team back in 2017 to becoming a rebuilding team in a short amount of time.
Fortunately for him, he won't be dealing with these issues in his new Buccaneers team. He will now be surrounded by players who know how to win in Super Bowl champions Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and LeSean McCoy. The Bucs will most certainly be led in the right direction with true winners steering the way for the team.
The winning culture was an important aspect that was clearly missing during Fournette's time in Jacksonville.
2. Leonard Fournette will have lower production
The 25-year old player is coming off a breakout campaign as the main focal point of the Jaguars' offense last season. He recorded a total of 1,152 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with 76 receptions for 522 receiving yards. However, things are looking mightily different in Tampa Bay despite him owning momentum and confidence from last season's performance.
For the first time in his career, Fournette will be entering a competent running back room. Competing with him is third-year player Ronald Jones who also had a breakout campaign last season and will look to vie for a bigger role on offense. Six-time Pro Bowler LeSean McCoy remains to be a threat on the ground attacks and can provide scoring from time to time. Rookie Ke'Shawn Vaughn will also look to grab his own touches in a veteran-laden backfield.
To add, the running back group isn't even the center of attention in Tampa Bay. Head coach Bruce Arians heavily utilized the aerial attack last season due to the talents available in Pro Bowl wideout duo Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. These two will remain to be the priority of the offense especially with a better quarterback playing under center in the upcoming season.
Tight end Rob Gronkowski will also aim to get his own chunk of the offensive possessions along with backups O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate. There are just too many mouths to feed in Tampa Bay for the former LSU Tiger to get anywhere near his high tally last season.
At the end of the day, his productivity will ultimately depend on the efficiency of Brady's distribution among all the weapons at his disposal.
1. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers a shoo-in for the playoffs
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers concluded the 2019 season with a 7-9 campaign to finish third in the NFC South division. The team managed to snag the tally despite having a quarterback throw a total of 30 interceptions in a single season. The Bucs' main offensive weapons in Evans and Godwin also missed significant time last season owing to their respective injuries. A couple more wins in the regular season could've powered them through the playoff picture in 2019.
After what has been a crazy offseason, I can barely imagine what the team can achieve with a reloaded and more dangerous lineup. The Buccaneers' front office gradually addressed their weaknesses and upgraded their pieces from last season. Their transformation started when they lured in the GOAT to join them and lead their offense in the upcoming season. He even did them another favor by convincing old pal Gronk to come out of retirement and return to the gridiron.
At this point, the Buccaneers had a complete facelift and were already considered a powerhouse team. However, there were still questions whether they can truly match up against division rival Atlanta Falcons and NFC South leader New Orleans Saints.
Debates continued to transpire on how the Bucs will fare in the upcoming season until the Leonard Fournette signing happened. The acquisition became a major dealbreaker for the Buccaneers and everyone is aware that his contributions can take the team to another level.
After the recent signing, all the spots in the roster are now checked from top to bottom. It will almost feel like Christmas in Tampa Bay every day if this caliber of players will be at their disposal throughout the season. With all the pieces seemingly falling into place, the Bucs will now need to execute and deliver on the field in order to meet the high expectations set for them.
They are looking to get the chemistry going with all the new faces and hope that the team will be firing from all cylinders come Week 1. The entire football scene is raring to see how Leonard Fournette and the rest of the revamped Bucs will turn out in what should figure to be an exciting 2020 NFL season.
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