Hot seat check: Ronald Jones and Rob Gronkowski
Ronald Jones is mostly on the hot seat for no fault of his own. His stat lines have been nothing special, but that has been chiefly because the offensive line has been abysmal in the run game. Few running backs would get any yards on the looks that RoJo gets.
If it were the previous Buccaneer running back room, Jones would still be in command of his job, especially after his convincing touchdown and stiff arm, but this is not the previous running back room.
LeSean McCoy has emerged as the best Buccaneer running back in the passing game, and Leonard Fournette is the first back with 100 yards rushing in a game for the Bucs since Jones accomplished the same feat last season. If Bruce Arians’ strategy of playing the hot hand is any indication, Jones’ role in week three will be much smaller.
Moving over to tight end, Rob Gronkowski has been extremely underwhelming in pewter and red. Gronk is drawing pass interference calls, but he has looked slow and has been plagued by drops so far this season.
Tampa Bay could decide to use the reliable Cameron Brate instead if this continues, but Gronk makes far too much money to perform at his current level, and the Bucs may feel like they need to continue using him.