Playoff Lenny has arrived in Buffalo.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz first reported that Leonard Fournette is planning to sign with the Buffalo Bills on Monday pending a physical. This move comes two weeks after the Bills apparently lost interest in the veteran running back and instead seemed content to finish the season with their current rushing corps.
Fournette had been treading water in free agency ever since he played out his contract on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season. He's coming off a productive 2022 campaign that saw him record 189 carries for 668 yards and three touchdowns, and he has a relatively solid track record of staying healthy in the league.
The seventh-year back will now head to the AFC East and join one of the most potent rushing teams in the Bills.
Bills add extra legs to their powerful running game in Leonard Fournette
It's unclear exactly what changed the Bills' minds between mid-October and now. In that span, the Bills lost a thriller to the Patriots, 29-25, and defeated the Bucs this past week, 24-18. In both those games, James Cook was the lead ball carrier with a little over 50 yards rushing per game.
The Fournette signing would likely affect Cook the most and turn the Bills' running back room into a committee. The Bills also have reliable vet Latavius Murray and practice squad call-up Ty Johnson on the depth chart, both of whom have gotten playing time whether on the offense or special teams and made the most of their sprinkled opportunities.
For fantasy owners itching to smash the "add" button on Fournette, we wouldn't be so certain about his goal-line work. Despite Fournette's bulky frame, he's been hailed more for his pass-blocking skills than his end-zone contributions, the former of which appears to be exactly what the Bills' running back corps was missing in 2023.
Fournette has a week to get comfortable in the Bills' offensive scheme before Buffalo's Week 9 revenge game against the Bengals on Sunday.
