Leonard Fournette expected to miss rest of NFL regular season, per report

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers received bad news on the injury front on Monday as head coach Bruce Arians announced that wide receiver Chris Godwin had torn his ACL against the New Orleans Saints and was lost for the season.

But that’s not the only big injury news facing the Bucs right now.

Tampa Bay running back Leonard Fournette was forced to exit Sunday’s game after suffering a hamstring injury in the 3rd quarter of the loss to New Orleans. He has totaled 812 yards and 8 touchdowns on 180 carries in 2021.

It was thought that Fournette would potentially miss 2 games before returning to the field, but, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, he could be bound for the injured reserve list and be out for at least the remainder of the regular season. The door would remain open for a return in the postseason, though:

Buccaneers now are “likely” to place RB Leonard Fournette on injured reserve with the hamstring injury that left him on crutches Sunday night, per a league source. He then would miss rest of regular season.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 21, 2021

Leonard Fournette is expected to be return for the playoffs, per source.

Buccaneers placed wide receiver Chris Godwin and defensive lineman Pat O’Connor on the Reserve/Injured list today.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 21, 2021

The Bucs are 10-4 and remain atop the NFC South despite a 9-0 loss to the Saints. They next visit the Carolina Panthers on Dec. 26.

Sydney Hunte

Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.