It sounds like Leonard Fournette has some work to do to get into game shape. A Buccaneers coach told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times that the RB showed up to camp weighing more than 250 pounds (Twitter link), a significant jump from his standard playing weight of around 230 pounds.
“Coaches were not happy, and that’s an understatement, when [Fournette] didn’t participate in the OTAs, but then he shows up at the mandatory minicamp weighing damn near 260 [pounds],” Stroud said during an appearance on the Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast (h/t to Luke Easterling of USA Today). “And that’s not a good sign for a guy that you’ve just spent a three-year contract on.”
Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times noted during minicamp that Fournette appeared to be out of shape, as the RB was clearly struggling during drills. At the time, Fournette admitted to being overweight, but he sounded optimistic that he’s be back to his standard weight in time for training camp.
“Obviously I need to get my weight down, which has always been [a thing] during the summer,” Fournette said. “It’s going to come back down though.”
“I don’t think anybody’s where they need to be right now,” Bowles said at the time. “It’s training camp where you need to be where you’ve got to be, so right now there are guys that are in shape that could afford to lose a few pounds, and there’s guys that are out of shape that are really under weight. So we’re trying to take care of that right now. We’ll worry about it in training camp.”
Fournette took over the starting role from Ronald Jones in 2021 and seized the opportunity. The former fourth-overall pick averaged a career-high 4.5 yards per carry, and he ranked sixth in the NFL among RBs with 1,266 yards from scrimmage. After hitting free agency, he ended up re-signing with Tampa Bay on a three-year, $21MM deal. If the 27-year-old is limited to start training camp, that would mean extra reps for rookie third-round pick Rachaad White, 2020 third-round pick Ke’Shawn Vaughn, and veterans Giovani Bernard and Kenjon Barner.
Yikessss
He enjoyed the banquet circuit.
Hardly a shocker. Fournette has never been a guy you could trust. After he signed that deal, you had to suspect he was gonna lose some motivation. Brady must have been super pissed. His laser eyes stare probably melted five pounds off Fournettes fat ass right off the hop. So only another 20-25, pounds to go. White and Vaughn have some potential but Tampa has got to be searching for a veteran back. Can’t sit around waiting for Lenny to be pulling his hamstring, twisting his knee or spraining his ankle because he can’t carry the weight and then not be able to lose the weight because he can’t work out. Tampa has got too much riding on this season for that.
At 250 lbs Fournette still weighs less than Brady’s ego. If the Bucs didn’t want a porker they could have re-signed Jacquizz Rodgers.
Eddie Lacy 2 …. Some normal people work 40 to 60 hours a week and still able to maintain a fitness plan … yet that’s his only responsibility , no job to get up to , nothing but time on his hands and he can’t get it done … this will be a regrettable contract … he only has a few years to be a pro , he will have the rest of his life to be fat.
Calling it now – Bucs miss playoffs. These things will happen
Brady shows his age.
Fournette is slow and loses his starting gig that should have remained Ronald Jones. ( btw Rojo will out perform Fournette in KC)
Brady gets sacked the most ever in his career
How many years in a row do we hear Brady shows his age. He was robbed of the MVP. Look at all the assets that were continually hurt and his numbers still beat Rodgers.
There’s no chance of that.
That’s just not realistic. For that to happen, that means the saints, panthers, or falcons win the division. Baker or Mariota or Winston coming off an injury. Not going to happen
The Bucs schedule outside their division is no picnic. They’ll face both SB participants, 3 other division winners and not a single weak team like the Jags, Lions, Giants or Jets.
Saints win division… not a saints fan either…Winston is good enough and Saints D is no joke.
Najee weighs 250 if I do recall seeing that previously posted.. but guess that’s ok with his 3.5ypc too .. Lenny will lose the weight like he always has ..
Najee weighed that last year.
Let the man eat
Pizza is a hell of a drug
Here is the real issue. The player will now try extreme things to get to weight and he is struggling to attempt to perform on the field. If this is true, Leonard Fournette is a false step away from an injury that could affect his season.
One thing is for sure, as of right now house money is on Gardner-Johnson…..