The Kansas City Chiefs are reportedly mulling over the idea of signing Leonard Fournette just a day after he was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars. On Tuesday, Fansided’s Matt Verderame reported via Twitter that KC could be interested in the running back once he cleared waivers, and the club wasn’t expected to trade anything to get him.
Verderame did say the price would have to be right. Fournette would reportedly be a backup as Clyde Edwards-Helaire is still expected to take over the starting job from Damien Williams, who opted out of the 2020 season. He added that not only is Edwards-Helaire the expected replacement for Williams, but he hasn’t rested on his laurels after getting the job. The rookie has reportedly impressed his coaches in camp.
While the Chiefs might be interested in taking a flyer on Fournette, the Los Angeles Rams are apparently not interested in the 1,000-yard rusher.
Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk wrote that head coach Sean McVay was asked after practice on Tuesday about his squad’s interest in Fournette. After saying he planned on going with a “running back by committee” approach in 2020, he directly addressed whether he’d like to see Fournette on his roster.
“He’s a good player but we feel good about the guys we have in-house. We’re not looking at anyone externally.”
The Rams are apparently not the only team to bow out of the Fournette sweepstakes this week. Kevin Patra of NFL.com wrote that the New England Patriots likely don’t have any interest either.
Patra said that the Pats have been a popular pick around the league to land the back. He added that it’s not clear where that thought process is coming from as it doesn’t appear the “marriage” will take place.
He reported a source within the organization was quite adamant there wasn’t much interest in bringing Fournette into camp, even for a tryout.
Some analysts viewed his position as one of need for the Patriots, but it appears they’re going to look elsewhere in order to fill that need, should it actually exist.
Like the Rams, the Patriots are said to be looking at a committee approach for running back. While expected starter Sony Michel is dealing with an injury, they still have Damien Harris, James White, Rex Burkhead J. J. Taylor, and Lamar Miller ready to compete for carries.
While Michel led the team in carries during the 2019 season with 247, White and Burkhead each also had more than 65 rushes last year. It appears head coach Bill Belichick is ready to go with that mix again rather than bringing in Fournette.