Bills To Sign RB Leonard Fournette
After a seven-plus-month stay in free agency, Leonard Fournette has found a new home. The former top-five pick agreed to terms with the Bills on Monday, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz tweets.
Fournette will join a Bills team that recently placed Damien Harris on IR. While this will be a practice squad deal for the former Jaguars and Buccaneers back, it would certainly not surprise if Fournette suited up soon. Teams continually use the P-squad as a bridge to bring veterans onto active rosters, and Schultz indicates that will be the plan here.
This agreement comes after an interesting news cycle, one that featured a report indicating the Bills planned to meet with Fournette and another confirming no such visit took place. Nevertheless, the Bills had the seventh-year back on their radar. Fournette will join a backfield housing James Cook and Latavius Murray.
He of two 1,000-yard seasons in Jacksonville and a key role in Tampa, Fournette profiles as an interesting piece for the Buffalo offense. The Bills had added Harris on a one-year, $1.77MM accord in March. But the neck injury he sustained in Week 6 changed the team’s plans. Harris had worked as a Cook complementary piece, taking handoffs near the goal line at points. Murray has been a between-the-tackles supporting-caster as well, and the Bills have rolled with a Cook-Murray tandem since the Harris injury. It is unclear if Harris will return this season, but the Bills have insurance going forward.
When the Bucs released Fournette in February, it was described as a mutual separation. But Fournette languished in free agency for much of the year and did not land a deal until midseason. The LSU product worked out for the Patriots and was on the Colts’ radar during their period with both Jonathan Taylor and Zack Moss out of the picture. No deals commenced; both teams brought in other backs. Fournette, 28, should at least be fresh after taking half the season off. He also has not topped 200 carries in a season since his final Jaguars slate (2019).
Choosing Fournette over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson in 2017, the Jaguars did benefit from the power runner in the late 2010s. Fournette drove a Jags offense down Allen Robinson to the AFC championship game, but a falling out transpired that led to a summer 2020 release. The Bucs used Fournette primarily as a backup during the 2020 regular season, but the “Playoff Lenny” moniker soon took hold, with the free agency pickup totaling 448 scrimmage yards in four Bucs postseason efforts that year. Fournette supplanted Jones as the Bucs’ starter and held that job for two more seasons.
After a productive 2021, the Bucs gave Fournette a three-year, $21MM deal in March 2022. This mirrored the contract the Cardinals handed James Conner. While the latter remains attached to those terms, Fournette had to settle for a P-squad pact that will turn into veteran-minimum money if/once he lands on Buffalo’s active roster. The Bucs guaranteed Fournette $9MM at signing, and he earned $27MM fully guaranteed on his Jags rookie deal. Hitting free agency during a brutal time for the RB position, Fournette will now attempt to re-establish his value as a Bills role player.
Russini’s Latest: Broncos, Jets, Eagles
Dianna Russini of The Athletic has been especially prolific with respect to trade deadline reporting. As we approach the October 31 cutoff, here are a few of Russini’s latest updates from around the league (subscription required):
- Broncos wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy have once again featured prominently in this year’s trade rumors. However, a deal has never felt imminent, and none of the current offers that Denver has received have come close to the club’s asking price. One general manager who has spoken with the Broncos told Russini that the team is not “selling cheaply.” Russini confirms previous reports indicating that cornerback Patrick Surtain is not available, despite understandable outside interest in his services.
- We heard yesterday that the Bills could be looking to move 2022 first-rounder Kaiir Elam, and Russini reports that Buffalo is looking into cornerback additions. She does not say so specifically, but it could be that the Bills are looking for a replacement for Elam, who has not yet lived up to his draft status.
- Rich Cimini of ESPN.com confirms that Jets GM Joe Douglas is willing to move running back Dalvin Cook and edge defender Carl Lawson, especially after both players recently expressed frustration with their current roles. Unsurprisingly, though, Russini reports that Douglas is not getting many calls on either player. Lawson is a healthy scratch for today’s game against the Giants.
- Echoing her report from earlier this month, Russini writes that the Cardinals are still not looking to trade wideout Marquise Brown, even though they have received trade interest in the contract-year speedster.
- They might be low on cap space, and they might have already made one significant trade acquisition in safety Kevin Byard, but Russini says the Eagles are still looking to buy and are interested in a linebacker. The 49ers are also working the phones and have interest in an edge rusher and a cornerback.
- Unlike the Eagles and Niners, the Chiefs, Falcons, and Texans are among the clubs that are expected to stand down at the deadline.
2023 NFL Cap Space, By Team
The countdown to this year’s October 31 trade deadline continues, and a number of deals have already been made. More will follow in the coming days, though, as contending teams look to bolster their rosters for the stretch run and sellers seek to offload expiring contracts and gain future draft assets. Much will be driven, of course, by each squad’s financial situation.
Courtesy of Over the Cap, here’s a breakdown of every team’s cap space in advance of the deadline:
- San Francisco 49ers: $39.89MM
- Cleveland Browns: $33.99MM
- Arizona Cardinals: $11.1MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $10.78MM
- Tennessee Titans: $10.55MM
- Las Vegas Raiders: $9.16MM
- Chicago Bears: $9.06MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $9.05MM
- Indianapolis Colts: $8.78MM
- Minnesota Vikings: $7.96MM
- Green Bay Packers: $7.55MM
- New York Jets: $7.17MM
- Seattle Seahawks: $7.16MM
- Carolina Panthers: $7.07MM
- Dallas Cowboys: $7.03MM
- Baltimore Ravens: $6.83MM
- Atlanta Falcons: $6.76MM
- Detroit Lions: $6.62MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $6.42MM
- New Orleans Saints: $4.67MM
- Buffalo Bills: $4.58MM
- Los Angeles Rams: $4.37MM
- Houston Texans: $4.26MM
- Washington Commanders: $3.78MM
- Kansas City Chiefs: $3.7MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $3.63MM
- Miami Dolphins: $3.49MM
- New England Patriots: $2.87MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $2.81MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $2.55MM
- Denver Broncos: $1.22MM
- New York Giants: $991K
The 49ers have carried considerable space throughout the season, but general manager John Lynch made it clear last month the team’s intention was to roll over most of their funds into next season. Still, with San Francisco sitting at 5-2 on the year, it would come as little surprise if at least one more depth addition (separate from the Randy Gregory move) were to be made in the near future. 
Deals involving pick swaps for role players dominated the trade landscape for some time, but more noteworthy contributors have been connected to a potential swap recently. One of them – Titans safety Kevin Byard – has already been dealt. That has led to speculation Tennessee is open to dealing other big names as they look to 2024. Derrick Henry’s name has come up multiple times with respect to a deal sending him out of Nashville, but that now seems unlikely.
Several edge rushers are on the market, including Danielle Hunter (Vikings) and one or both of Montez Sweat and Chase Young (Commanders). Hunter nearly found himself with the Jaguars this offseason, and last year’s AFC South winners could be on the lookout for a pass rush boost. A mid-level addition in that regard would come as little surprise. In Minnesota and Washington’s case, however, it remains to be seen if they will be true sellers given their 3-4 records heading into tomorrow’s action.
A number of receivers could also be on the move soon. Both the Broncos’ pair of Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton and the Panthers’ Terrace Marshall have been involved heavily in trade talk. Jeudy and Sutton are on the books at an eight figure price tag next season, and the Broncos are unlikely to receive the draft capital they could have at prior points in their Denver tenures. Marshall, by contrast, is in the third season of his four-year rookie contract and could fit more comfortably into an acquiring team’s cap situation. The Panthers have allowed him to seek out a trade partner.
The Cowboys sit in the top half of the league in terms of spending power, but mixed signals initially came out with respect to their interest in making a splash. Owner Jerry Jones has insisted Dallas will not initiate negotiations on a trade, citing his confidence in a 4-2 roster which has been hit by a few notable injuries on defense in particular. Despite having more cap space than most other teams, the Bengals are likewise expected to be quiet on the trade front.
The past few years have seen a notable uptick in trade activity around the league, and it would come as a surprise if that trend did not continue over the next few days. Last-minute restructures and cost-shedding moves would help the teams in need of flexibility pull off moves, though sellers will no doubt also be asked to retain salary if some of the higher-paid veterans on the trade block end up being dealt. Given the spending power of teams at the top of the list, there is plenty of potential for the league’s landscape to change ahead of the stretch run to the playoffs.
Bills CB Kaiir Elam On Trade Block?
Kaiir Elam has struggled to carve out a role in Buffalo, and the cornerback may have to revive his career elsewhere. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Elam is a name worth watching heading into Tuesday’s trade deadline. Fowler notes that the former first-round pick has garnered interest from rival teams.
Elam started six games in 13 appearances as a rookie but failed to establish himself as a permanent starter heading into his sophomore campaign. The cornerback was a healthy scratch for the first month of the season, but as the Bills dealt with a number of injuries in their secondary, Elam was thrown into the starting lineup for Buffalo’s Week 5 matchup against the Jaguars.
The cornerback ended up getting pulled during that eventual loss. He earned another start in Week 6 but didn’t keep the job; he exclusively played special teams in Week 7 before once again being deemed inactive on Thursday night.
The other night, Elam was lapped on the depth chart by veteran Josh Norman, who was activated from the practice squad. After the game, coach Sean McDermott indicated that the second-year CB wasn’t helping Buffalo’s cause.
“Yeah, we want the players, at this point, and we feel like every decision we make is who can help us win,” McDermott said (h/t A to Z Sports). “We wanted to see what Josh (Norman) could do there.”
While Elam hasn’t clicked with the Bills, another team would surely take a chance on the defensive back. The Florida product was the 23rd-overall pick in the 2022 draft, and his draft pedigree will be enough to earn him an opportunity elsewhere.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/26/23
Today’s minor moves around the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed to active roster: CB Bobby Price
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: OLB Jeremiah Moon
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: WR Andy Isabella, CB Josh Norman
- Placed on IR: TE Dawson Knox (story)
Las Vegas Raiders
- Designated to return from IR: LB Curtis Bolton
New England Patriots
- Signed to active roster: WR Jalen Reagor
Seattle Seahawks
- Placed on IR: OLB Uchenna Nwosu (story)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: CB Richard LeCounte, DT Deadrin Senat
Reagor has been called up as a standard gameday elevation three times now for the Patriots, the maximum under a single practice squad contract. It remains to be seen if he will stick on the team’s active roster, but if he’s going to see any more game action this year, the promotion was a necessary one. He’s obviously able to play while on the active roster, but if the team were to release him and re-sign him to the practice squad, he would have the ability to be elevated three more times on the new deal.
The Bills and Buccaneers are making their standard gameday elevations for Thursday Night Football tonight. Veterans Isabella and Norman will both be making their season debuts if they see the field tonight in Buffalo, as will LeCounte and Senat for the Bucs. Norman has a good chance to see the field with Kaiir Elam out and Tre’Davious White still on injured reserve. Senat likewise should get a chance to rotate in for Tampa with Vita Vea currently inactive.
Bills TE Dawson Knox To Undergo Surgery, Expected To Be Placed On IR
OCTOBER 26: While a firm timeline is still not in place for Knox’s recovery, he could be in line to sit out an extended stretch. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Knox is expected to be placed on IR, a move which would require him to miss at least four weeks. That would open the door for Kincaid to see a sustained uptick in usage, but it would leave the Bills shorthanded on offense through an important midseason stretch. Buffalo has seven IR activations remaining this season.
OCTOBER 23: Injuries continue to remove key Bills pieces from the equation. After sustaining significant setbacks on defense this month, Buffalo’s latest major setback comes on offense.
Dawson Knox will undergo wrist surgery, according to Sean McDermott. While the seventh-year HC did not confirm a timetable, Knox will likely be in line to miss a stretch of games. This injury dates back to the Bills’ London matchup with the Jaguars, and although the veteran played in each of the past two games, the team will shut him down for the time being.
Knox has not missed a practice since the Bills returned from London, logging three limited sessions before Week 6 and practicing in full last week. He caught a two-point conversion toss from Josh Allen in the fourth quarter but also dropped a pass earlier in the stanza. For the season, Knox is at 15 receptions for just 102 yards and a touchdown. The 6.8-yard average is by far a career-low mark for the fifth-year pass catcher, whose per-game number (39.3) also checks in below his averages from 2019-22.
The Bills gave Knox a four-year, $52MM extension just before last season that at the time made the former third-round pick the NFL’s sixth-highest-paid tight end. With Darren Waller, Evan Engram and T.J. Hockenson signing new deals since, Knox now sits ninth in AAV at the position. While he remains a key Bills component, the team made the interesting move to invest its top offseason resource in the position by taking Dalton Kincaid in Round 1.
This injury will thrust Kincaid into a larger role, it would appear. This year’s first tight end drafted, Kincaid entered Week 7 with only one 30-plus-yard receiving performance. He established a new career-best mark in New England, totaling 75 yards on five catches. The Bills traded up for Kincaid in April, and they will need to lean on the Utah alum during Knox’s absence. While the two had shared the field, Knox had seen more playing time (316 offensive snaps) than Kincaid (242) early this season.
Unlike Tre’Davious White, Matt Milano and DaQuan Jones, Knox may be a likely candidate to come off IR. It would appear the Bills will move Knox off their 53-man roster while he recovers, but even that is not certain yet.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/25/23
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Davion Davis, DT Jacob Slade
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: LB Donavan Mutin
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DT Eli Ankou
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: QB Jake Luton, TE Jordan Matthews
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Michael Bandy
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: CB Zyon Gilbert
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released from practice squad IR with injury settlement: T Sebastian Gutierrez
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: OLB Quincy Roche
New England Patriots
- Signed: QB Malik Cunningham
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Mario Goodrich
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DT Marlon Davidson
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/21/23
Here are the minor moves made around the league in advance of the Week 7 slate of Sunday games:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from NFI list: CB Garrett Williams
- Elevated: RB Damien Williams, CB Bobby Price
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: DL Lacale London, TE Tucker Fisk
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: S DeAndre Houston-Carson
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: DT Kendal Vickers
Chicago Bears
- Activated from IR: OL Doug Kramer
- Elevated: CB Joejuan Williams
Cleveland Browns
- Signed to active roster: RB Deon Jackson
- Elevated: QB P.J. Walker, LB Charlie Thomas
Denver Broncos
- Placed on IR: TE Greg Dulcich
Detroit Lions
- Activated from IR: DE Josh Paschal
- Released: TE Darrell Daniels
- Elevated: RBs Mohamed Ibrahim, Devine Ozigbo
Green Bay Packers
- Released: OLB Justin Hollins
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived: QB Nathan Rourke
Kansas City Chiefs
- Restored to active roster (from suspension exemption): DE Charles Omenihu
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: CB Cornell Armstrong
Los Angeles Chargers
- Elevated: WR Keelan Doss, S Mark Webb
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated: TE Tanner Conner
New England Patriots
- Elevated: WR Jalen Reagor, DT Trysten Hill
New York Giants
- Elevated: QB Tommy DeVito, G Jalen Mayfield
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed to active roster: C Joey Hunt
- Waived: OL Ben Brown
- Elevated: WR Easop Winston, RB SaRodorick Thompson
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: DT Abdullah Anderson, CB Tariq Castro-Fields
Dulcich already had one IR stint this season due to an aggravation of last year’s hamstring injury. The 2022 third-rounder has appeared in only two contests so far this season, and in the most recent one he suffered yet another setback. As a result, he will once again be shut down for at least four weeks.
The Giants’ decision to again promote DeVito points to starter Daniel Jones missing another game. Indeed, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports Jones is considered a “longshot” to play tomorrow against the Commanders. It will in all likelihood be Tyrod Taylor under center for New York in Week 7 while Jones continues to recover from his neck injury.
Bills Place RB Damien Harris On IR
The neck injury Damien Harris suffered in Week 6 will keep him sidelined for an extended stretch. The Bills announced on Friday that the veteran running back has been placed on IR. 
As a result of the move. Harris will miss at least the next four weeks. He was hospitalized after suffering a stinger, but initial indications suggested the worst-case scenario had been avoided. Still, the 26-year-old’s absence will be felt in the Bills’ backfield moving forward. Buffalo signed ex-Lions and Jets backup Ty Johnson to the active roster in a corresponding move.
Johnson’s continued presence in the organization led to a Leonard Fournette visit being canceled earlier this week. The latter remains unsigned and his addition would have given the Bills a veteran depth presence at the RB spot, but instead that will now fall to Johnson and Latavius Murray. The Bills are already without pass-catching specialist/returner Nyheim Hines, who was involved in a jet ski accident before the season started.
James Cook has, as expected, seen a major uptick in usage this season, his second in the NFL. The 2022 second-rounder’s snap share sits at 56% through six weeks, more than double that figure from his rookie campaign. Cook will continue to be leaned on with Harris (who has totaled 25 touches to date this year) no longer in the fold for the time being. Murray saw a season-high 12 carries last week when Harris was injured, and he is in line to handle RB2 duties moving forward.
Bringing Harris back will require using one of the team’s seven remaining IR activations. His return will be welcomed by a Bills offense looking to find a rhythm both on the ground and through the air. For the foreseeable future, though, the team will need to consider adjusting its snap share in the backfield with another Cook compliment no longer available.
RB Leonard Fournette Will Not Visit Bills
OCTOBER 17: Fournette will not, in fact be heading to Buffalo today. Schultz notes that the Bills expected to lose Ty Johnson off their practice squad, but since that is not happening, they will not host Fournette for an audition. The latter has still received interest from a number of teams, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports, but he does not have any visits lined up at this point.
OCTOBER 16: After receiving some promising news about running back Damien Harris, who was taken off the field in an ambulance after suffering a “neck sprain” last night, according to NFL Insider Jordan Schultz, the team is still dealing with the fact that they may be without him for a period of time. With Nyheim Hines suffering a season-ending injury before the season even began, this leaves the Bills with only James Cook and Latavius Murray as healthy active roster running backs. 
Enter free agent running back Leonard Fournette. Schultz claims that Fournette has informed him that he will be visiting the Bills‘ facility tomorrow. After three years each with the Jaguars and Buccaneers, Fournette has been a free agent since being released by Tampa Bay in February.
Fournette hasn’t been quiet in his free agency, fielding calls from the Patriots, who would end up signing Ezekiel Elliott, and Colts, who found a resurgent break out from Zack Moss. He’s been ready, though, staying in good enough shape to perform at workouts, the newest of which will be in Buffalo tomorrow.
So far this season, the Bills have essentially used Cook as a workhorse, utilizing Harris and Murray to spell Cook for short periods. Murray has proven to be plenty serviceable as a backup running back over the years, but at 33 years old, he doesn’t have quite the same tread remaining as the 28-year-old Fournette.
Fournette could come in and provide the Bills with a true RB2 who can do a bit more than just give Cook a breather. Fournette would have a chance at coming in and actually earning snaps in certain situations. As for the likelihood of this opportunity, Schultz claims that “there’s a good chance (Fournette) signs in Buffalo if all goes well.”