By Jared Clifton

Playoff Lenny got his fresh start in Tampa Bay, after a somewhat surprising late offseason release from the Jaguars. Once again, he gets an opportunity to choose his next adventure, as he enters free agency in a deep free agent running back class. Conventional wisdom has him running it back with the Bucs for 2021, but if the money isn’t right on what should have been his payday deal, then there are several other teams where his brand of play fits in. Let’s take a look.

New York Giants

With the NFL blending gracefully to a two RB system, it makes sense for Dave Gettleman to pony up for a back that will allow their superstar RB, Saquon Barkley, to be used more efficiently. Something resembling the tandem that New Orleans uses with Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray, but with backs that can play somewhat interchangeable roles.

With Barkley coming off a severe injury, Fournette would be an automatic upgrade to Wayne Gallman, to ease him back into a majority load. While Fournette isn’t as dynamic as Barkley at full strength, he is a reasonable facsimile to the type of back that Barkley is and Jason Garrett can deploy a full playbook that benefits the offense in its’ entirety.

Gallman wasn’t a slouch when needed last season, but his slight build and middling speed limit his ability to mitigate the drop-off when Barkley isn’t on the field. It makes much more sense for the Giants to let Gallman, Devonta Freeman, and Dion Lewis walk this offseason and bring in a back that can lead, if called upon, as a high-quality insurance policy.

Buffalo Bills

When your franchise QB accounts for 27% of your rushing yards and you’re not the Baltimore Ravens, then it’s time to invest in an RB that can reliably shoulder the load. While Devin Singletary and Zach Moss were both serviceable in their thunder and lightning roles, the lack of consistency in the overall running game could end up being taxing on a QB that had to throw the ball over 100 times more from 2019 to 2020.

Much like the Bucs when Fournette joined them this past season, the Bills are ready to win now and although Fournette likely has less reason to ring chase after helping the Bucs win one this year, he may want to land in a spot where another Lombardi is well within grasp.

Fournette holds an all-purpose profile and giving him that type of role would allow Devin Singletary to encompass a more suitable satellite back role, to maximize his strengths. Moss would slot well into a short-yardage and breather back, as he lacks the breakaway skills to become a legitimate workhorse. The Bills holes remain in their defensive front seven, so filling this RB need via a high octane option in Fournette, would allow them to spend the draft capital to fill those holes.

Miami Dolphins

Miami put together a surprisingly quick turnaround from their dismal 2019 campaign and did so with a collection of JAGs at the RB position. Both Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed played well when forced into action, but the need for a premier RB should be high on the list of offseason priorities for the Brain Flores-led Dolphins. They figure to be in on other notable free agents, such as Aaron Jones and Chris Carson, but Fournette may make more fiscal sense as they continue to utilize their good cap standing to finish off the rebuild.

Gaskin and Ahmed remain important pieces for an offense that needs playmakers, but they aren’t well suited to be the playmaker. Fournette has shown, as early as 2019, that that is exactly who he can be. His 1674 total yards in 2019, for a poor Jaguars team, are more than the career totals for the top backs in Miami last year, so adding the dynamic experience elevates the RB room immediately.

While Fournette has historically been among the worst pass-blocking backs in the NFL and that may become even trickier with a left-handed QB, he does provide an upgrade in nearly every other facet of the game and there is some mitigation of that need. For a team that has holes to fill in the WR room and a pass rusher, signing a guy like Fournette to come to be the ready-made solution at such an important position, could provide a cushion to allow other high price tag signings and creativity via a loaded draft pick cupboard.

The post 3 Free Agency Destinations For Leonard Fournette appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By Jared Clifton

Even five years ago, it would seem impossible, if not counterintuitive, to trade a quarterback drafted in the first round just a season ago. There is so much payroll flexibility in having a QB under his rookie contract , with the fifth year option that comes with an initial draft round pick–but, this isn’t a typical situation.

This offseason is set up to be one of the most fluid in terms of QB movement and Aaron Rodgers just claimed his third NFL MVP title and showed that he still has plenty in the tank. Barring a trade demand from the 37-year-old Rodgers, Jordan Love is locked out of playing time in the foreseeable future, and with a three-year window of contention wide open, it could make some sense to shop Love on the back end of the anticipated QB carousel, to any teams that may have missed out on new signal-callers.

Now, it must be said, that this scenario is of a lesser likelihood than a lot of the other rumors heating up post Super Bowl. The situation in Green Bay could certainly be year to year and having a groomed successor is a luxury that the Packers can afford. However, even with the draft-day trade and capital it took to acquire Love in the 2020 draft, there could be a team willing to pay a viable enough price to get a deal completed. A combination of ready-to-contribute offensive weapons and Day 2 picks to help replace the potential losses of Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams, may be a good start. Here are the three teams that would make sense, should that occur.

Houston Texans

Of all the teams that are in QB limbo this off-season, the Texans are at the very top. There have been plenty of rumbling of three-team trades that have Deshaun Watson moving over to Green Bay, with Aaron Rodgers to San Francisco and the Texans loading up on draft picks and young controllable talent. With that mechanism, or without, Jordan Love to the Texans is a logical move to make.

While the Texans may be reticent to part with significant draft capital to acquire the former first-rounder in a standalone deal, they do have some pieces that could move the needle. Kenny Stills has been an oft-discussed target for the Packers the past two deadlines and would provide an immediate compliment to Davante Adams, in an offense that may see a dynamic shift to a more pass-centric approach, should Jones actually leave.

The other piece that they have to send is a long-time star, JJ Watt. Watt’s time in Houston is likely at its end and he wants to go to a contender. There may be no better landing spot for him than Lambeau. There is some cap acrobatics to be done, in order for the money to work, but Watt, Stills, and a 2021 third for Jordan Love and Oren Burks is a good starting point for two franchises moving in opposite directions. That would provide David Culley with a potential franchise QB, that would at least be some consolation should Watson be traded.

New York Giants

It’s difficult to tell what the Giants have in Daniel Jones, as he enters his third season in his turnover-prone career. He wasn’t drafted by the current brass and the promise shown in his rookie season was not evident in year two. It’s too early to call for Jones’ head in New York, but Joe Judge and Jason Garrett may also be looking to hedge their bets with a talented project such as Love, to motivate Jones’ or outright pass him on the depth chart.

Garnering high praise for his leadership skills and athleticism at Utah State, he could provide continuity for a young coaching staff, as they try to build on a season that ended better than expected. With Saquon Barkley coming back from injury and a good core defense in place, the Giants need to see a marked improvement in their offense to take the next step, and adding another high caliber QB prospect via trade makes more sense than wading into the draft pool this season.

The Giants do have one player that Rodgers world likely covets in any Love deal–Evan Engram. Engram is a cut candidate this season, but he could fill a needed role for the Packers. Robert Tonyan was great this past season, but his numbers scream touchdown regression and a healthy Engram would slot in perfectly as a suitable second weapon for Rodgers. Much like the productive Jimmy Graham years, Engram has the athleticism and youth to put up huge numbers. Engram, LB David Mayo, and possibly veteran backup QB Colt McCoy, would make a suitable base to ship the young Love off to the Big Apple.

Carolina Panthers

Conventional wisdom tells us that the Panthers should be in the QB business on day one of the 2021 NFL drafts, but with the current mock drafts showing a need for Carolina to have to move up to get their guy (Zach Wilson), it may be more prudent for Matt Rhule and Co. to stay right where they are. They’re in a good spot to be able to take game-changing LB Micah Parsons and if they can trade for Love, the overall price is less than what it would take to move up six spots for Wilson or even four spots for Fields.

By all accounts, the top five QBs in the 2021 class grade better than Love did out of Utah State, but the Panthers are also far enough away as a team, that their draft capital is extremely important this year and next. Parting with their first, third, and fourth this year and first and third next year to get to 2nd overall, greatly diminishes the rebuild. If Wilson, Fields, and even Jones are gone in the top six picks, is Trey Lance proven enough to merit the eighth overall pick? It seems like Love is a worthwhile contemporary and gamble to draft the best player available (Parson or even Penei Sewell in this scenario).

Robby Anderson, 2021 third and 2022 third would get the conversation moving while accomplishing an immediate need filled for Green Bay and not handcuffing the Panthers build-up. Again, this is a trade that makes sense for a contending club and a team trying to get to that contention point. Love can understudy behind Bridgewater until he is ready to take over and with Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore, and Curtis Samuel in place as his weapons, his learning curve should be greatly flattened.

The post Unrequited Love: Three Teams That Should Trade For Jordan Love This Offseason appeared first on Pro Football Mania.