Philadelphia Eagles: Leonard Fournette could bring the thunder

If the price is right, Leonard Fournette would be a fantastic fit in the Philadelphia Eagles’ scheme as the thunder to Miles Sanders’ lightning.

This is the most wonderful time of the year for fans of the Philadelphia Eagles.

The team is undefeated, they flexed some considerable muscle in free agency, and now turn their attention to the draft, where the next great generation of Eagles are set to join the NFL’s ranks. Optimism is at an all-time high, and in this current-era of soul-sucking ennui, that should be lauded.

So hey, why don’t we get a little crazy and discuss a trade that probably won’t happen – emphasis on probably – but would make a massive impact on the team’s roster if it did.

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Buckle up Philly fans; this should be fun.

Now as you may, or may not know, the Jacksonville Jaguars are a bit in flux going into the 2020 NFL Draft. From the ‘surprising‘ decision to release a finally-healthy Marqise Lee, to the very public Twitter battle between franchise-tagged edge rusher – and not so secret Philly fan – Yannick Ngakoue and the heir to the Jaguars/AEW empire, Tony Khan, Jacksonville’s roster could look very different in 2020 from their 2017 playoff form.

And the latest player in the team’s culture-cleansing crosshairs? The fourth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Leonard Fournette.

Now to be fair, this isn’t the first time Fournette has been on the proverbial chopping block, as he was reportedly available last spring, but this time feels different. Despite having an encouraging season highlighted by a career-high 1,152 yards rushing on only 265 carries, Fournette took up residency in the dog house yet again after a slew of interesting social/regular media comments, including a public plea for the team to sign Cam Newton.

Not quite on the level of fighting the team’s owner’s son on Twitter, but certainly a questionable decision when you play for a team looking to fortify their culture.

So, if Fournette is available, and the team’s asking price isn’t crazy, would the former LSU power runner even be a fit in South Philly?

Oh, you’d better believe it.

Fournette is a big, athletic wrecking ball with legit 4.51 speed and a relentless motor. He’s powerful enough to run over unsuspecting linebackers between the tackles, fast enough to break open long 80-plus yard runs in the open field, and even an underrated receiver out of the backfield, as he hauled in 76 passes on 100 targets in 2019 for 522 yards.

Fun fact: Leonard, a non-receiver, had more receiving yards than every wide receiver on the Eagles roster not named Zach Ertz or Dallas Goedert. Take with that what you will.

While the Eagles already have a legitimately talented number one running back signed up for three more years in 2019 second-round pick Miles Sanders, if last season is of any indication, you simply can’t have enough talented players across an NFL roster; especially with Jordan Howard now a member of the Miami Dolphins.

Fournette is like Howard on steroids.

From Ryan Mathews to LeGarrette Blount, Jay Ajayi, Josh Adams, and eventually Howard, the Eagles have deployed a prominent one-cut runner in each of Doug Pederson‘s four seasons atop the organization. This one-two combination of power and elusiveness – then played by Darren Sproles – is a proven commodity as old as time, or at least since Pete Carroll‘s tenure at USC in the early 00s.

On a personal note, I’ll never forget the first time I saw Fournette play a game – it was in LSU’s 2014 Music City Bowl game against the Notre Dame. A 19-year-old, braces-clad Fournette put up 264 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns on only 13 total touches, including an absolutely electric 100-yard endzone-to-endzone kick return in an ultimately losing effort.

Check it out here, it was magical.

With a desperate need for additional playmakers across the offense at pretty much every position, adding a 25-year-old playmaker is a borderline no brainer for the right price, especially when you consider he’d only count for about a $4 million price in 2020, and a little over $10 million if Howie Roseman opts to pick up his fifth-year option for the 2021 season.

But there’s that word again: Price.

If Fournette can be had for the same price as Howard, a conditional Day 3 pick, then making a trade for the disgruntled(ish) running back is a borderline no-brainer, but I’m of the belief that the Jags may be looking for a whole lot more than a Day 3 pick to help jumpstart their soft-rebuild.

Ngakoue basically cursed out his team’s owner on Twitter, and the team won’t even consider trading him unless the value is right.

Is Fournette a top-tier running back in the modern NFL? I’d reluctantly venture to say yes, as he may be one of the five or so most effective rushers between the tackles in the league, but that alone isn’t as valuable as it once was. With solid contributors routinely available in the middle rounds of the draft, in undrafted free agency, and for a few million bucks a year on the open market, giving up a premium asset for a player who will all but surely demand a massive payday in the same ballpark as Derrick Henry‘s eventual deal may not be worth the team’s time.

The most I could see a team surrender for Fournette’s services is a third-round pick, and only because they could recoup said pick via the compensatory formula if he were to leave in free agency.

If the Eagles really do have an interest in Fournette – which is possible, as the team was one of the six teams Pro Football Talk listed as potential landing spots – their best-case scenario would be to land him in a pick swap similar to the deal Roseman pulled off to acquire Timmy Jernigan in 2017. Flipping, say, the 53rd overall pick for Fournette and the 73rd overall pick is pretty good value for both parties, but who knows if the Jaguars would be willing to accept such a deal. It may ultimately rely on who starts to drop come draft day.

Next. Antonio Gibson is built for Doug Pederson’s scheme. dark

So in summation, will the Philadelphia Eagles trade for Leonard Fournette? No, probably not, but should they? That’s a whole ‘nother conversation. If the price is right – and I can’t stress this enough, it may just be too high for anyone’s money – Fournette is a fantastic fit in Doug Pederson’s scheme and could form a dynamic one-two thunder and lightning duo with Miles Sanders in 2020 and beyond. That would be a pretty cool sight to see.

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