So far, Tampa Bay rookie Ronald Jones has been a big disappointment. In his first two games combined, his yards per carry average was less than 1 yard (12 carries for 11 yards), which is very alarming. To make matters worse, he dropped both of his targets in the passing game, as well, which is very frustrating considering he can be particularly dangerous when given space in the open field, as he proved on multiple occasions at USC.
Yes, it is only the preseason, and he has not had many opportunities, but the production the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have gotten (or the lack thereof) from their second round pick so far is highly concerning.
When the Bucs used a very early pick on the highly elusive weapon out of Southern California, many people expected him to be the starting running back by week 1 of the regular season. Things look a lot different now. He is currently the third back on the depth chart, playing behind Jacquizz Rodgers.
The fact that Peyton Barber has been looking very decent does not make things any easier for Jones. As of now, Barber, who has averaged 5.3 yards per carry so far, is locked in as the clear-cut number one back on the team.
It is crucial now for the development of the young running back to finally find some kind of success in the next two games. He needs to have a few positive plays and gain some confidence in order to be successful in the NFL. Calling him a bust would be unfair, as it is still too early to tell, but he must deliver now and have some explosive, long runs, which is what he was brought to Tampa for.
Needless to say, a functional running game would help the Buccaneers’ offense tremendously and take pressure off of our Quarterback. Hopefully, Jones will figure things out at the next level sooner rather than later.
