ORCHARD PARK - Running back Leonard Fournette was rumored to be joining the Buffalo Bills practice squad a couple of weeks ago and that did not happen.

It finally happened, officially, on Tuesday when the team announced that he is now signed to the practice squad.

Fournette was the fourth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Jaguars where he played three seasons and topped 1,000 yards twice, in 2017 and 2019. He then moved on to Tampa Bay after Jacksonville waived him following training camp in 2020 and he teamed up with Tom Brady to lead the Buccaneers to a victory in Super Bowl 55 over the Chiefs.

That season, Fournette really didn’t do much of anything in the regular season but he had four straight solid postseason games, culminating with 89 yards rushing, 46 receiving and and one touchdown in the Super Bowl.

Last season he gained 668 yards rushing scored and three touchdowns, and he also caught 73 passes for 523 yards and three more TDs.

The Bills have a young running back in James Cook who is having a nice season with 486 yards rushing and 192 yards receiving, so if he does sign and gets called up to the 53-man roster, it will be interesting to see what role Fournette would have. Clearly, he would replace 33-year-old Latavius Murray as the backup as Murray hasn’t been all that impactful for Buffalo.

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On Friday, Sean McDermott was asked about Cook’s workload, which hasn’t been all that high due to the usage of Murray.

“It's clear that James wants to carry even more of the load, and that'll come over the course of time with continued high level of play, like he has shown at times this year,” McDermott said.

By saying “at times”, that wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. The biggest issue with giving Cook more playing time is that he is a terrible pass protector and the Bills demand that vital skill in their backs. Murray is very good, but he doesn’t provide much of a threat in the run or pass game the way Fournette would.

With the NFL trade deadline coming up Tuesday afternoon, this could be the first of several moves the Bills make as they try to upgrade their roster for a second-half schedule that is nothing less than brutally difficult.

Cornerback Kaiir Elam, at least from the outside, appears to be at the center of any trade talks the Bills are engaging in. It has become clear that he’s not a fit in the Buffalo defense and the Bills are likely looking for a team to partner up with, one that may have a more conducive defensive scheme that favors man coverage which is Elam’s forte.

He’s a 2022 first-round pick who has started games for the Bills, and actually, last season as a rookie it wasn’t like he was a tragedy on the field. This season, in limited playing time, Elam hasn’t been very good but the athleticism is apparent and it isn’t a stretch to believe that there’s a coaching staff out there that would look at Elam as a player they could definitely coach up and get on the field.

Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana and on Threads @salmaiorana1. To subscribe to Sal's newsletter, Bills Blast, which comes out twice a week during the season, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Leonard Fournette signed to Buffalo Bills practice squad