The Kansas City Chiefs have signed running back Ronald Jones in wake of trading Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins.
Brett Veach’s plan to create a more complete offense after trading Hill is starting to come into focus. First, the Chiefs signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling, previously of the Green Bay Packers, as a deep threat. Now, KC has added to their running game behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire, signing former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Ronald Jones.
Jones, ironically enough, was a member of the Bucs team which defeated the Chiefs in the Super Bowl in 2020. He’ll likely fall in as the No. 2 back behind Edwards-Helaire in Kansas City’s backfield.
At just 24 years old, Jones still has plenty of room to grow as a running back. He played a vital role in Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl march in 2020, rushing for 978 yards and catching 28 balls for 165 yards.
Kansas City Chiefs sign Ronald Jones
Jones struggles in pass protection and has some fumbling issues, so those are things Reid, Eric Bieniemy and the Chiefs will surely work on his with. But the 24-year-old’s explosiveness in the backfield more than makes up for it.
At his best, Jones has 4.4 speed and can make plays in the running and passing game. He had two seasons with over 1,000 all-purpose yards with the Chiefs, and ought to get ample opportunity in Kansas City. Edwards-Helaire doesn’t necessarily have a stranglehold on the running back position.
Adding Jones won’t completely make up for the loss of Hill, but eventually these pieces could make a difference.