Buccaneers think Ronald Jones will step up in 2020

With a nice opportunity in front of him, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers think Ronald Jones will step up this year.

With Tom Brady coming in, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have plenty of buzz and the offense should be more efficient while remaining productive. Ronald Jones topped 1,000 yards from scrimmage last year, and the team “rewarded” him by taking Ke’Shawn Vaughn in April’s draft. LeSean McCoy was also signed before training camp, to further clutter the backfield.

But the buzz on Jones has been consistently positive, with word he added muscle and worked on his pass catching during the offseason. He drew worthy ire from head coach Bruce Arians for his poor pass blocking last year, and failure to improve there would actively keep him off the field with Brady. Vaughn landing on the COVID-19 list also works in favor, to go with Arians comments that the rookie would be most ready to contribute only as a kick returner in Week 1.

Coaches talking up players in training camp is almost always to be taken with a big grain of salt. But Arians pulls no punches, so his words of praise for someone naturally carry more credibility and weight.

Vaughn is behind the curve more than he already would have been due to being on the COVID-19 list. McCoy was a late addition, and he’s 32 years old as his best years get further in the rearview mirror. Dare Ogunbowale is in the mix, but he’s strictly a passing down guy (35 receptions in 2019). Anointing Jones the way he did might have just been a process of elimination for Arians.

ESPN’s Jenna Laine has projected Jones to be the Buccaneers’ early down back, with McCoy as the change of pace and Ogunbowale as the third down man. Vaughn, at least early in the season, has an uphill climb for a notable offensive role.

Tampa Bay’s lead running back, assuming there will be a clear one, is in prime position to produce this year. A Week 1 approaches, the team seems to think Jones can be that guy.