2 Reasons Philadelphia Eagles were wise not to pursue Leonard Fournette

The Philadelphia Eagles have needs but Fournette isn’t one of them.

Once the Jacksonville Jaguars released back Leonard Fournette, something interesting happened. There was seemingly zero interest. While it wasn’t totally surprising, it’s still a nice conversation piece to discuss why it made sense for the Philadelphia Eagles to bring him in.

Despite the concerns that constantly follow him (attitude, work ethic), Fournette isn’t a bad player, In the long run, he wasn’t worth the 2017 fourth-overall selection that the Jags spent on him. but he was a solid contributor for the guys from Duval County. In two of his three seasons there, the LSU product ran for more than 1,000, and last year, he posted 265 carries for 1,152 yards, three touchdowns, and a career-high 4.3 yards per carry. He also caught a whopping 76 catches for 522 yards. In other words, he, pretty much, carried a Jaguars offense that had a young and inexperienced Gardner Minshew at quarterback.

Although Fournette’s reputation precedes him, he could have immediately fortified the ‘Birds’ running back game. A strong locker room would have guided him and helped him overcome whatever character flaws he had. If that wasn’t enough to pursue him, what about the fact his running style brings back memories of running back LeGarrette Blount, who was part of that magic team that gave the ‘City of Brotherly Love’ their first Super Bowl?

In the end, whatever possibility there was for the Eagles to sign Fournatte evaporated as soon as the 25-year old running back struck a one-year $3.5 million deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

While Tom Brady’s best days are certainly behind him, the sky is the limit for Carson Wentz. Fournette signing with the Bucs shouldn’t be seen as a missed opportunity though, and here are two reasons why that’s the case.