The Bucs haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since Doug Martin ran for 1,402 yards in his second Pro Bowl season in 2015. Ronald Jones II came close last year, rushing for a career-high 978 yards before missing the 2020 season finale with a broken pinky and COVID-19.

Not only did he lose his opportunity to join the likes of Ricky Bell, James Wilder, Reggie Cobb, Errict Rhett, Warrick Dunn, Carnell “Cadillac” Williams and Martin as the only 1,000-yard rushers in Tampa Bay history, Jones also lost his starting job to Leonard Fournette.

In the postseason, Fournette took over, rushing for 300 yards and three touchdowns in four games, while averaging 4.3 yards per carry. He also added 148 yards and a touchdown on 18 catches, becoming “Playoff Lenny” in the process.

Fournette took on the “Lombardi Lenny” moniker in helping Tampa Bay beat Kansas City in Super Bowl LV, rushing for 89 yards and 5.6 yards per carry while ripping off a 27-yard touchdown in the second half. Fournette also caught four passes for 46 yards against the Chiefs in the biggest game of his life.

Bucs RB Leonard Fournette – Photo by: USA Today

After a slow start to the 2021 season, Fournette has picked it up, topping 100 yards of total offense in each of the last three games – all Bucs wins. His nickname shifted to “All Season Lenny” and then finally to “Thursday Night Lenny” when his two touchdowns and 127 total yards helped Tampa Bay win at Philadelphia, 28-22, last Thursday night in prime time.

Now the clear cut starter ahead of Jones this season, will “Thursday Night Lenny” become “1,000-Yard Lenny?”

Fournette, the former fourth overall pick in Jacksonville in 2017, has topped 1,000 yards twice before. He first hit that mark as a rookie with 1,040 yards and then again in 2019 with a career-high 1,152 yards with the Jaguars.

Fournette currently has a team-high 332 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 78 carries (4.3 avg.), and is averaging 55.3 yards per game. That puts him on pace for 940 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in Tampa Bay’s 17-game season – just shy of 1,000 yards.

Yet after averaging 30.6 yards per game in Tampa Bay’s first three games, Fournette’s average yards per game has increased over the last three games to 80 yards. Should he rush for 880 yards over the final 11 games at that pace, Fournette will finish the year with 1,212 rushing yards, a new career high.

That’s not the only career high that Fournette could achieve if he maintains his current pace.

Fournette has 25 catches for 213 yards through six games. He’s averaged 4.2 catches for 35.5 yards per game in 2021. Maintaining his season average would give Fournette 71 receptions for 603 yards, which would be a career high. He had 76 catches for 522 yards in Jacksonville in 2019.

But with Fournette increasing his average to 4.3 receptions and 45.3 yards per game over the last three games, he would catch 47 passes for 498 yards over the last 11 games at that pace. That would give the 6-foot, 228-pound back 72 catches for a whopping 711 yards.

Fournette would post 1,923 yards of total offense in 2021 if he maintains his current averages, which aren’t unreasonable as long as he stays healthy and productive. That would top his 1,674-yard total yardage season in 2019 with the Jaguars.

Could we be talking about “2,000-Yard Lenny” as an all-purpose back come December? Stay tuned.