Leonard Fournette signing means Buccaneers don’t trust Ronald Jones II
By John Buhler
How does the Leonard Fournette signing impact Ronald Jones II’s season?
The Leonard Fournette signing by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was almost as shocking as the Jacksonville Jaguars releasing him. Fournette was the former No. 4 overall pick by Jacksonville in the 2017 NFL Draft. He didn’t even play out his rookie deal with the Jaguars. With Fournette now in Tampa Bay, what impact will this have on Buccaneers’ starting running back Ronald Jones II?
Andy Holloway of The Fantasy Footballers perhaps put it best in saying the Buccaneers clearly don’t trust Jones. Though head coach Bruce Arians may have nothing but great things to say about the guy, general manager Jason Licht being allowed to bring in yet another running back into the fold tells you everything you need to know about the situation. Will Jones stay the starter, though?
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What Holloway expects is the Buccaneers will use all three of their notable running backs this season in Fournette, Jones and borderline Pro Football Hall of Famer LeSean McCoy. Holloway envisions the Buccaneers will use Jones as their primary ball carrier, Fournette as the change-of-pace back and McCoy serving as a third-down back/pass-catcher out of the backfield.
What are the odds Ronald Jones II remains the Buccaneers’ Week 1 starter?
While Holloway is more optimistic about Jones having a good season, his colleagues Jason Moore and Mike Wright are essentially selling all of their stock on the former USC Trojans running back. They know Fournette will emerge as the Buccaneers’ workhorse, regardless of if he’s the Week 1 starter for Tampa Bay. McCoy’s role may be well-defined, but Jones is bound to lose touches.
So what we’re getting at here is pretty simple: The Buccaneers don’t have a bona fide bell-cow back. Jones may technically be it for now and Fournette may take that role from him in the future, but this will be a running back by committee approach more than perhaps any other team in the NFL this season. Unless something major changes, Tampa Bay won’t have a 1,000-yard rusher.
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Ultimately, this transaction by the Buccaneers is all about Arians and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich not in full belief that Jones is the guy. If he was the guy, Fournette wouldn’t have left one Florida-based NFL team for another. Though we should expect all to play, you’re best off going week-by-week to try to figure out which back of the Buccaneers will help you win in fantasy.