Newest KC Chiefs’ Ronald Jones sees ‘great one-two punch’ with Clyde Edwards-Helaire
The Chiefs bolstered their backfield on Saturday with the signing of Ronald Jones.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back joins a team with Clyde Edwards-Helaire already cemented as the starter, but Jones sounded ready to embrace a complementary role alongside his new teammate.
“I think it’s going to be a great one-two punch,” Jones said Sunday morning during an introductory news conference. “He’s very athletic, got a great skill set as well, so it will be great to see him work in person and going in to compete.”
Jones enters a backfield where the team tends to spread out touches with a committee approach. He will likely fill a role previously held by Darrel Williams, who remains an unrestricted free agent, and the Chiefs also return Derrick Gore, who was tendered as an exclusive-rights free agent.
The 5-foot-11, 208-pound Jones is accustomed to a shared backfield after spending time with Leonard Fournette in Tampa, where the Fournette-Jones tandem helped the Buccaneers defeat the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV. Fournette paced the ground attack with 89 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, while Jones chipped in with 12 carries for 61 yards.
But Jones can also take the lead role whenever required, showcasing that ability in 2019 and 2020. Over that two-year span, he totaled 1,702 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns on 364 carries, averaging 4.6 yards per carry.
Whatever the Chiefs have in mind for Jones, he knows he’ll have opportunities to contribute.
“I think that’s another thing about Andy Reid’s system - everybody is going to eat,” he said. “I’m excited to see my number get called and take it from there.”
The Chiefs have more than a hard-nosed runner with Jones, who can also help of the backfield as a receiver.
Since entering the league in 2018 as a second-round pick with the Buccaneers, Jones has totaled 76 catches for 571 yards and a touchdown. With his proven production as a rusher and receiver, Jones believes his skill-set is perfect for the Chiefs.
“I think they fit very well,” Jones said. “From talking to Coach (Reid) and Coach EB (Eric Bieniemy), seeing the things they do with running backs, I think my skill set translates perfectly.”
Jones joins a loaded offense boasting Edwards-Helaire, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce, wide receiver Mecole Hardman and new additions JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
The Chiefs’ newest running back looks forward to seeing it all come together.
“I’m excited to see how it fits in practice when we start up,” Jones said. “I’m ready to get to work.”
