Getty Kansas City Chiefs running back Ronald Jones II stretches at Buccaneers minicamp in 2021.
Since the emergence of rookie Isiah Pacheco, a popular Kansas City Chiefs roster cut — or potential trade candidate — has become veteran running back Ronald Jones II.
The Chiefs only signed Jones in March but he has not done all that much to separate himself from a crowded RB room. The one-year contract awarded the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft pick with $500,000 guaranteed and a prorated bonus of $250,000. If they did decide to release him, they would only lose that amount, which is exactly half of his $1.5 million dollar cap hit.
If they were to trade Jones, however, Kansas City would only be on the hook for the $250,000 bonus. Based on his limited snap share in training camp, many are starting to wonder if that is the signing’s eventual fate.
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Reid: ‘[Jones Will] Have a Chance to Play’
Well aware of the situation above, the Chiefs beat questioned head coach Andy Reid about Jones’ lack of playing time on August 11. Big Red shut down that narrative pretty quickly:
Some days he gets more than other days, but he’s taking advantage of the chances he’s getting and working hard. So he’ll have a chance to play, yeah. We’ll just see how he does.
It’s never easy to read the body language of a seasoned pro like Reid, but he did seem a bit gruff with his response — which was filled with multiple shoulder shrugs. The honest truth behind that is more likely that a long-time head coach isn’t thinking about his final depth chart on the eve of his first preseason game.
There’s still a long way to go but every snap moving forward will be crucial for Jones. He must prove why he deserves a roster spot over a fellow veteran like Jerick McKinnon, or a different position as the fourth running back.
Chiefs’ long drive period in today’s look — CEH, Jerick McKinnon and Isiah Pacheco all reps with first team. Derrick Gore with the second team. Ronald Jones with the third team.
During the August 11 practice, Jones fell behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire, McKinnon, Pacheco and Derrick Gore in terms of snap share — per Arrowhead Pride’s Pete Sweeney. If that trend is any indication of the future, “RoJo” might never suit up for a regular season game with the Chiefs.
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Reid Expects Shelton to Be Productive
Speaking of free-agent pickups, KC signed defensive tackle Danny Shelton this week on August 9. The move was somewhat out of the blue with several options at the position already, so Reid was asked to address that acquisition as well.
“I think we’ll get a lot out of him,” the Chiefs HC replied, joking that “he’s a big guy” and there should “be a lot of him here.” In a more serious tone, Reid added that Shelton is “a gifted athlete” that had “some real productive snaps” with the New York Giants last year.
New Chiefs NT Danny Shelton isn’t going to offer much as a pass rusher, but he’s a great run defender.
As you might expect from a late signing with an established resume, it sounds like Shelton could potentially steal a run-stuffer role from a player like Khalen Saunders or Taylor Stallworth. Reid’s one recommendation was that the newcomer shed a couple of pounds in camp, although the coach said so jokingly, admitting that he should join him in doing so.
Shelton is a former Super Bowl champion with 278 career tackles (17 for a loss) and six sacks in 100 regular-season appearances. He logged nine tackles and one tackle for a loss in his three career playoff games.