2 Reasons Philadelphia Eagles were wise not to pursue Leonard Fournette

2. The Philadelphia Eagles have a very solid running back group already.

Fournette is a workhorse. We all know that. He tallied 341 touches last season. That’s 112 more opportunities than Mile Sanders got, but here’s what’s interesting. The Penn State standout was more productive, averaging 5.7 yards per touch while Fournette ended the year with an average of 4.9.

It’s unlikely Fournette would suddenly become the Eagles featured running back. Instead, he would have played second fiddle to Sanders and probably would have made his money in short-yardage and goal-line situations. Heading into 2020, managing the sophomore’s load is wise. That’s where Fournette would have helped, but with Philly’s running-back committee they already have a couple of in-house choices, which further nullifies any need to sign Fournette.

If the Eagles want to spell Sanders, they have Boston Scott, who showed in the last four games of the 2019 season he can be a solid complementary player. His three rushing touchdowns against the New York Giants helped him solidify his place in Philadelphia’s plans, and in 2020, he should continue to be a solid change-of-pace back that could have an expanded role if Sanders were to miss a couple of games.

One of Super Bowl 52’s heroes, Corey Clement is also back. After catching four passes for 100 yards and a touchdown against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 52, the Wisconsin product has failed to have an impact on the field over the course of the past two seasons due to injuries, but now that he’s healthy again, he can become the contributor ‘Birds’ fans and coaches thought he would be.

As good as Fournette is and regardless of how much he will contribute to the Buccaneers, the Eagles backfield can do without him. Maybe if he could play left tackle, his signing would have made more sense. For now, the ‘Birds’ have more pressing needs that they need to take care of.