Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Fournette ready to power running game

The Jacksonville Jaguars rushing attack will be powered by the feet of Leonard Fournette — if he can stay healthy.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have reshaped their offensive identity this past offseason. Nick Foles is the franchise quarterback instead of Blake Bortles. The offensive line is healthy and has more depth than in recent years. However, Leonard Fournette is the only proven running back on the roster currently.

Jacksonville kept three running backs to get to the 53-man roster limit but placed Alfred Blue on the injured reserve list. Ryquell Armstead, the rookie from Temple, has played sparingly throughout the preseason. Jacksonville added Devine Ozigbo and Tyler Ervin to the roster after cuts throughout the league.

The Jaguars running attack appears to be in the powerful legs and feet of Fournette. His biggest liability is being able to stay healthy throughout any given season. Last season, if you remember, he battled injuries and a game suspension. Will he stay healthy enough to drive the running game?

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In his first two seasons, he has missed 11 games. At LSU in 2016, he played in seven games while battling an ankle injury. He did not play in the bowl game but prepared for the NFL Draft.

Fournette spent the majority of the offseason preparing for this season. The Jaguars are depending upon him to fuel the ground game. Jacksonville really needs him to play the majority of snaps on offense.

Until Blue gets healthy, Fournette will get the majority of the snaps out of the backfield. The remaining three backs will spell him at times. If Fournette aggravates his hamstring or ankle injuries, Jacksonville might be in trouble.

Would the Jaguars explore any deal to acquire Ezekiel Elliott or Melvin Gordon? Either running back would immediately impact the rushing attack. Salary cap space really hamstrings the Jaguars as a result of the Bortles extension.

Jacksonville has around $12 million in salary cap space, according to Spotrac.com. Elliott and Gordon are holding out for new contract with their current teams. The price tag to acquire one of them might be too steep.

Expect Jacksonville to ride the Fournette express until Blue is activated from the injury reserve list. The Jaguars will need him to control the clock with long, time consuming, scoring drives. If Jacksonville wants to win the first game, they will have to keep the Kansas City offense on the sideline.