It is time for the Buccaneers to unleash Ronald Jones

Ronald Jones is continuing to perform at a very high level for the Buccaneers when he is given touches. The transition to a Rojo-led backfield is beginning.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers run game has looked extremely competent to start out the 2019 season. The Buccaneers struggled mightily on the ground in 2018 and Ronald Jones had a horrific rookie season, but after three games Rojo is averaging a very impressive 5.3 yards per carry on the ground and has exploded for several large receiving gains with an average of 29.5 yards per touch through the air on two catches.

Jones has been very dynamic through two games when he was hot, and in the second game of the season against Carolina he was only given 4 touches and he only gained 9 yards due to a tweak of his ankle. As that game appears to be the outlier for right now, Jones’ yards per touch numbers are very hard to look past after a pedestrian rookie year. It was hard to make a definitive statement after week 1, and after week three it still seems murky, but Rojo will get the starting job if he continues to play at this level.

Peyton Barber has been very consistent during his time for the Buccaneers averaging right around 3.7 yards per carry. As far as averages go, this is very middle of the pack and even on the lower end compared to other RB1’s across the league. Players like Saquon Barkley and Ezekiel Elliott are averaging 6.4 and 5.3 yards per carry respectively. If Barber wants to keep his starting job, he will have to get his average up.

More from The Pewter Plank

• Devin White posts cryptic message to Lavonte David on Twitter
• ESPN predicts surprising outcome to Devin White trade saga
• Updated Buccaneers depth chart after signing two players from rookie minicamp
• Todd Bowles sends clear message about Baker Mayfield’s role with Bucs
• The Athletic is wrong about Bucs one ‘must-watch’ game in 2023

The one thing that Barber does have an advantage in is in the touchdown category. Barber has the lone touchdown on the season for all Buccaneer running backs while Rojo is still searching for his first of the season after having just one as a rookie.

Barber and Jones are a serviceable duo in the backfield that provide stability in the run game. Because Arians is riding the hot hand so clearly, it seems unlikely that Jones will simply take over as the starter immediately.

While Peyton Barber does usually play he first series, it is likely that if he struggles or if Jones is exploding through the middle that Rojo will get the lion’s share of the touches. This system does work well as seen in New Orleans in 2018 with Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara supporting one another.

By having two solid backs, the Bucs are in a good position to have success on the ground and put games on ice when the Buccaneers are up on the scoreboard. As of now, the Buccaneer running back duo is just slightly off pace of both players topping 1,000 all-purpose yards.

For now, fans of the Bucs should just be happy to have any running backs that are able to go out and average more than three yards per carry. While that is nothing earth shattering, establishing a run game will be crucial in the remainder of this season. Don’t expect a change of leadership anytime soon, but Ronald Jones and Barber will be able to work well together, especially on this upcoming long road stretch.