Eagles should keep a close eye on Leonard Fournette
The Eagles will have a need to fill at running back soon. Why not look at a champion?
The Eagles are in great position where they have very few needs after a Super Bowl performance. The Buccaneers were the last team in such a position where the roster didn't collapse after making it to the biggest game in the sport, and Philly can use this as a template to get ready for another shot at a ring.
The best way for the Eagles to achieve this is not by bringing every free agent back exactly as the Bucs did, but by getting better at positions while also saving money where they can.
Sure, Miles Sanders put together a good season for Philly, but does he really need to stay and become a top-earner on the roster? The answer to that one is clear.
With Sanders becoming a very likely cap casualty, the Eagles will need to turn their attention somewhere else for a proven option to pair with the young, talented pieces that are already on the roster.
This could bring the Eagles and Leonard Fournette together.
Fournette is set to become a free agent after a disappointing final season with the Buccaneers. Fournette himself wasn't the main issue with an abysmal run game, although it is clear that he is not the back that he once was.
Still, the Eagles could use a veteran presence in their backfield, Fournette could use another shot to compete after winning a ring and getting paid with the Bucs, and the fit could be too good to overcome.
While everyone knows that Fournette has been a good back between the tackles and could probably be the top power back on the Eagles, his best skills have shown up in unique ways with the Buccaneers as a pass-catcher and out on the edges.
The running numbers may not be great based on terrible efficiency, but Fournette has been able to compile 142 receptions over the past two seasons for 977 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
This may not be the first thing that most people think when they hear Fournette's name, but it is worth considering this move on the pure basis that the veteran could be one of the best volume third-down backs on the market based on what we have seen from his time in Tampa.
If you pair this skillset with a run scheme that is actually from the modern era and the pieces that the Eagles already employ to make one of the best rushing attacks in the league, Fournette could make a mountain of sense for the NFC Champions if they want to hold on to their draft capital.
Featured image via Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports