Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Ronald Jones had a brutal Week 1 performance, but it didn’t cost him his starting job–yet.
Earlier today, Bucs head coach Bruce Arians announced that Jones will start in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons. Jones carried four times for 14 yards against the Dallas Cowboys in the opener, but his early fumble cost the team points and himself some playing time.
In total, Jones played just six offensive snaps last Thursday, while Leonard Fournette led the way with 42 and veteran third-down back Gio Bernard played 17.
Bruce Arians says RB Ronald Jones will start against Atlanta.
— Scott Smith (@ScottSBucs) September 14, 2021
On Friday, Arians made an interesting admission about Jones, saying that the way the fourth-year pro responded–or failed to respond–to the in-game setback led to him not seeing the field afterwards.
“He struggled mentally to get over it,” Arians said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
“He struggled mentally to get over it,” Bruce Arians said of Ronald Jones, who did not get any reps after his fumble.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) September 10, 2021
Arians going back to Jones as his starter for the time being probably indicates he wants to keep the running back’s confidence level high. We don’t expect him to give Jones a long leash though.
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