Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians wanted to maximize the talent available at his disposal and promoted their recent acquisition in Leonard Fournette to be his “nickel” running back – a role he inherited from veteran LeSean McCoy.

He is now the designated rusher in hurry-up and obvious passing situations for the Bucs' offensive schemes, as per The Athletic‘s Greg Auman.

The new role in the offensive scheme gave Fournette more opportunities and a bigger workload in recent games. His productivity was in full effect as he returned to the gridiron in his first game back from a three-week absence due to an ankle injury.

Article Continues Below
More Buccaneers News
image thumbnail
3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers hidden gems on 2025 roster you need to knowBen Strauss ·
Mystery player in the middle, Baker Mayfield and Antoine Winfield Jr around him, Buccaneers logo in the background
1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie who stood out most in 2025 minicampEnzo Flojo ·
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) celebrates after a 54-yard run in the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
Buccaneers’ Bucky Irving surpasses Vita Vea, Mike Evans for impressive honorJaren Kawada ·
Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans (13) catches the ball during NFC Practice for the Pro Bowl Games at Camping World Stadium.
Buccaneers rumors: Why insider is wondering about a Mike Evans tradeJackson Stone ·
Haason Reddick in the middle, Baker Mayfield and Coach Todd Bowles around him, Stormy skies in the background
Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ riskiest move in 2025 NFL offseasonEnzo Flojo ·
Featured image Desmond Watson
Buccaneers’ Todd Bowles breaks down Desmond Watson’s impact vs. Tush PushDylan Fine ·

In their Week 7 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, he ran for 50 rushing yards on 11 carries while fellow ball-carrier Ronald Jones generated 34 rushing yards on 13 touches along with a rushing touchdown for the Buccaneers.

The Buccaneers used huge scoring outbursts in the second and fourth quarters of the game to pull away on a 45-20 victory against the home team. They now sit atop the NFC South division while the Raiders plummeted to a 3-3 record to place second in the AFC West.

The already-stacked offensive rotation of the Buccaneers got additional firepower with the arrival of the recently-acquired wide receiver in Antonio Brown. With Fournette's new role as the designated nickel running back, it might allow him to settle in faster and contribute better to the Buccaneers' Super Bowl aspirations.

Fournette and the rest of the Buccaneers will build on their two-game winning streak as they face the struggling New York Giants on November 2 for Week 8 festivities.