Report: Leonard Fournette gained 30 pounds during offseason, and Bucs aren't happy
This isn't the TB12 method.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette showed up to minicamp at nearly 260 pounds, according to the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud. That puts him around 30 pounds heavier than his listed playing weight of 228 pounds.
Stroud reported the news on his podcast "Sports Day Tampa Bay."
“The last time we saw Leonard Fournette he was about a donut shy of 260,” Stroud said. “He certainly didn’t look like a guy who could play every down.”
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The Bucs, understandably, are not pleased with this turn of events.
"Coaches were not happy, and that’s an understatement — when he didn’t participate in the OTAs, but then he shows up at the mandatory minicamp weighing damn near 260,” Stroud said. “And that’s not a good sign for a guy that you just spent a three-year contract on.”
Here's Fournette at minicamp on June 7.
This is Fournette warming up for January's playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Fournette tweeted this on Tuesday as news of his weight gain made the rounds, noting the date of the Bucs' season opener against the Dallas Cowboys.
They wouldn’t have the same energy in your face so why entertain them…… See y’all September 11
— 7⃣ Leonard Fournette (@_fournette) July 19, 2022
Bucs training camp opens on July 27. Fournette enters camp as the unquestioned leader atop the running back depth chart. Or he should, at least, if he's in football shape. The 27-year-old signed a three-year, $21 million deal in the offseason with $12 million guaranteed to stay in Tampa.
He tallied 1,266 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns in 14 games as Tampa Bay's primary running back in 2021. The Bucs would presumably like to see him carry a similar load this season. But he will have some competition.
Tampa Bay drafted Arizona State running back Rachaad White in the third round of April's draft. A capable pass catcher who averaged 6.3 yards per carry in two seasons with the Sun Devils, White projects as more of a third-down back with the Bucs. But if Fournette's not in better shape at camp, he could mess around and give the rookie a chance to compete for his reps.
