After four weeks of a mostly cautious view towards the backfield for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ronald Jones should inherit the starting spot.
The 2018-2019 season has become a distant speck on the rear horizon for second year running back Ronald Jones. After one of the most unimpressive rookie seasons ever, Rojo has come into 2019 looking even better than the second round pick than was used on him. Yes, it is a bold statement, but Ronald Jones is playing like a first round draft pick and his touches should reflect that.
The run game for the Buccaneers has been dull and mostly predictable the last few years. Peyton Barber has performed admirably-the best half back since Doug Martin (during a good year) but Barber’s time as a starter may be limited. Barber has averaged a very pedestrian 3.8 yards per carry over the course of his career and looks to be on pace to match that this season with a current average of 3.4 yards per carry.
Barber is a veteran and has been consistent on a team that has been anything but that. Being able to rely on a running back to get 3.5 yards per carry is a commonplace amongst the league but sometimes a team needs someone who can bring more to the tables. While Barber can provide this, Barber does not possess the explosiveness that Rojo brings to every play.
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Jones is averaging 4.7 yards per carry now and that number is severely under-inflated after having seemingly all of his gains of 20+ yards called back on holding penalties or illegal blocks in the back. The offensive line should buy Jones a very nice dinner for destroying his stat lines week in and week out, but even after having a massive gain called back Jones still lines up ready to hit the hole hard again.
It is Jones’ speed and lateral quickness that make him stand out from Barber. Jones seems to not struggle between the tackles as seen by his first touchdown of the season on Sunday and he is far better in open space that Peyton Barber. While Barber and Rojo create a very unique and successful one-two punch, it would be interesting to see what Jones’ stat lines would look like at the end of games with 25 touches and less penalties by the offensive line.
Regardless of how long it will take, Rojo taking over the reins as the starter seems like an inevitability. Jones is younger and more athletic and has a much higher upside. Jones’ floor, as seen last year, is much lower than Barber’s, but Jones has the capacity to break off large, game-changing runs in big time game as seen last week. When the Buccaneer front office said they were the most impressed with Ronald Jones after the offseason they were assuredly right.
While Jones should probably be the starter full time, Peyton Barber will still serve an important role on the team. Barber has been very capable as a player and would likely already have a 1,000 yard season under his belt had it not be for some inept play calling from his coaches. Before getting too crazy, the Buccaneers should take advantage of having two very competent running backs for the first year in quite some time before getting rid of anyone.