WATCH: running back Leonard Fournette finds unexpected role in Buffalo Bills debut

Tonight, we saw something from former LSU running back Leonard Fournette that we hadn’t previously seen since his time in Baton Rouge. Tonight, the Buffalo Bills are taking on the Los Angeles Chargers in week 16 of the 2023 NFL season. While it may appear like any old game for most, for Tiger fans, it’s particularly notable that for his season debut, Fournette found a role as a kick returner.

Former LSU running back Leonard Fournette makes 2023 NFL season debut on a kick return

In his three seasons with the LSU football program, running back Leonard Fournette was known for many things. Whether it be running through, or around defenders, he was nearly impossible to stop each time he touched the ball.

While it was most common for his big plays to come through running the ball, he was more than capable of impacting the game in multiple phases.

As a freshman in 2014, a quick way for him to find the field early was through special teams. More specifically, he returned kicks during his inaugural season, and proved to be electric, returning the ball 25 times for 625 yards and one touchdown.

However, since then, he hadn’t seen much action in that phase of the game. This was, until today, as the LSU legend returned a kick to debut his 2023 NFL season.

Leonard Fournette returning kicks for the @BuffaloBills#BUFvsLAC on Peacock
Also available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/eeNRIfK0VS pic.twitter.com/IlFvgKYR6c

— NFL (@NFL) December 24, 2023

Despite this being his first time playing in 2023, the new Buffalo Bills running back has experienced an incredibly productive career as a professional. Since leaving the Tigers and joining the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017, he’s carried the ball 1,135 times for 4,495 yards and 34 touchdowns.

Now, through one half of football this evening, he can also add one kick return for 17 yards to his career tally.

The Buffalo Bills lead the Los Angeles Chargers 14-10 at the half, and Fournette has amassed four touches for 34 yards tonight. Tune in to the remainder of this Saturday night matchup live on Peacock.

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