2020 could finally see the Bucs use Ronald Jones properly
By Rob Leeds
Ronald Jones had the best sophomore season that could’ve been asked of him considering the circumstances, but his outlook is even brighter in 2020.
While the Buccaneers have experienced several misses on running backs during the past decade, Ronald Jones is the best Buccaneer running back since Doug Martin in 2015.
The running game in Tampa Bay has been abysmal in the meantime, but that is not Jones’ fault. Rojo was on pace to join Doug Martin and LeGarrette Blount as the only 1,000-yard rushers for the Buccaneers in the decade, but Tampa Bay robbed Rojo of that honor.
Had Ronald Jones been given the reins as the true RB1 as he deserved, and if Peyton Barber played the backup role, Jones would have easily cracked 1,000 yards rushing and would have gotten close to 500 yards receiving based on his averages.
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Rojo was only given 18 more carries than Peyton Barber, yet he still had 254 more yards than Barber. Think Rojo is lacking in the passing game? Jones had a higher catch rate than Dare Ogunbowale and had more receiving yards despite having four fewer receptions.
Bucs fans are so quick to move on from Jones for a high-round running back because his stats were deflated due to the timeshare with Barber, but if the Buccaneers were to draft a back like Clyde Edwards-Helaire, the same exact thing would happen. The stat line would never fit the mold for what the fans want due to splitting reps and the same thing would repeat down the road.
The Bucs do need to draft a running back, that much is not contested, but it should be in a later round as that position is easily-replaceable.
Senior Writer and Editor for the Buccaneers Scott Smith tweeted out the following in regards to an interview with Jason Licht today that bodes well for Jones in 2020:
Jason Licht says the Bucs are higher on Ronald Jones than they've ever been before and that Jones has barely scratched the surface of his potential. However, Licht also said that a lot of teams have two or three backs they involve in the offense.
— Scott Smith (@ScottSBucs) April 9, 2020
The Buccaneers need to draft a replacement for Peyton Barber and Jason Licht acknowledges that, but the fact of the matter is that if the Buccaneers are higher on Jones than ever before, it is unlikely that someone will be drafted to replace him.
While this may not be what most Bucs fans want to hear, using the picks in the first three rounds on positions of bigger need is a far better move than wasting them on a running back when they already have a very talented one in Rojo.
Ronald Jones does need to work on his skills in pass protection, but his upside as a runner and as a catcher is too good to abandon at this point in his career.
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If he is utilized correctly, you can expect to see Ronald Jones with 1,000 rushing yards in 2020, and the thought of replacing him will be a thing of the past.