Getting released three years after going fourth overall in the draft generally isn’t seen as a good thing, but Leonard Fournette doesn’t seem to be looking at his departure from Jacksonville that way.
Fournette was released by the Jaguars last week and didn’t have to wait long before landing a contract to join the Buccaneers. He’s part of a backfield that also includes Ronald Jones and LeSean McCoy, so it remains to be seen just how solid a role he’ll have on offense but any role he plays will come with Tom Brady taking snaps from center.
That’s a prospect that brings Fournette happy thoughts.
“For the first time in my life, I really have a quarterback,” Fournette said, via Greg Auman of TheAthletic.com.
Neither Fournette’s LSU teammates nor current or past Jaguars quarterbacks Blake Bortles, Cody Kessler and Gardner Minshew will likely be thrilled by that assessment, but it’s hard to argue with Fournette’s view of the upgrade in his quarterback situation.
With Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski and O.J. Howard on board as receivers for Brady, Fournette will likely be seeing fewer defenders in the box than he has in the past. If that pays off in increased production, the upside of getting cut will likely outweigh any negatives.