Bills elevate RB Leonard Fournette from practice squad

The Bills elevated veteran running back Leonard Fournette to their game-day roster in time for Buffalo’s key clash against the Dolphins.

Coach Sean McDermott is well aware his Bills need to slow down the dynamic Dolphins offense. And maybe the best way to do so is with a dominant running game. Buffalo signed Fournette, the former LSU standout, on Halloween. He’d been out of the NFL since the close of the 2022 season. Fournette saw his only action of the season in week 16. That was a 24-22 win over the Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Dec. 23.

Days after he joined the Bills, Fournette talked about why he moved to Buffalo.

“This gave me an opportunity I feel like I needed,” Fournette told reporters. “I had a couple of teams reach out to me but I really just wanted to do what’s best for me. It’s a fresh start. I was in the south (for) most of my career in the heat, so it’s a change-up.”

Up until he renewed his pro career with the Bills, Fournette had played exclusively in Florida. The Jaguars selected him in the first round of the NFL Draft in 2017. He signed with the Bucs in 2019, then helped them win a Super Bowl in 2020.

James Cook, the second-year back from Georgia, is the Bills starter. He’s rushed for 1,086 yards leading into the season finale against the Dolphins. The Bills have used Latavius Murray and Ty Johnson as backups to Cook. Fournette got his first call up from the practice squad when Johnson injured his shoulder.

There is so much riding on the Bills-Dolphins outcome, which officially is the final game of the NFL regular season. The winner is the AFC East champion. Buffalo could end the regular season as either the No. 2 seed in the AFC or completely out of the playoffs. But they’ll know more Saturday. If the Steelers lose to the Ravens Saturday afternoon, then the Bills are in, no matter what happens at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Plus, if the Jaguars lose to the Titans Sunday afternoon, then Buffalo is in.

Here’s the doomsday scenario for the Bills. If they lose to the Dolphins and the Steelers and Jaguars win and the Texans-Colts game doesn’t end in a tie, then Buffalo is out.

Meanwhile, the Dolphins can win their first AFC East title since 2008 with a win over the Bills. They could be the second seed. However, if they drop the game to Buffalo, it means Miami falls to the six seed and will head to Arrowhead Stadium to play the Chiefs in the first round of the playoffs.