Getty The Dallas Cowboys face a decision on Ronald Jones' future.
Ronald Jones is slated to miss the first two games of the season with a suspension, but the running back may never actually play in a game for the Dallas Cowboys. Multiple team insiders are projecting Jones to be among the players eventually released by the Cowboys.
ESPN’s Todd Archer wrote that Jones’ suspension gives the team additional time to make a final decision on his future because he will not count against the roster number until his suspension ends. Archer projects Dallas will keep three running backs: Tony Pollard, Deuce Vaughn and Rico Dowdle. Malik Davis could be a candidate to be re-signed on the team’s practice squad if the rusher clears waivers without being claimed.
“Dowdle has done more to earn the No. 2 job behind Pollard,” Archer noted in his August 26, 2023, story. “Vaughn has opened eyes with his work.
“He is undersized (5-foot-5), but that has not been an issue in practices or the preseason games. The goal is to sneak Malik Davis onto the practice squad and have him be on the game-day roster Week 1 anyway. Veteran Ronald Jones is suspended the first two games, so the Cowboys have time to worry about a roster spot — if needed — for him.”
Cowboys Rumors: Dallas Predicted to Keep Hunter Luepeke Over Ronald Jones
USA Today’s K.D. Drummond has the same three running backs making the final roster, with the addition of fullback hybrid Hunter Luepeke. He predicted Jones would be released and not re-signed by the team.
“Luepke got the opportunity on Saturday and did everything with it,” Drummond wrote on August 27. “I doubt another club wants to put him on their 53-man roster so Dallas would be safe getting him to the practice squad, but they don’t take the chance.”
Ronald Jones Signed a 1-Year, $1.2 Million Contract With the Dallas Cowboys
Jones signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with Dallas over the offseason with the thought that the veteran could be the team’s backup running back behind Pollard. Vaughn’s emergence puts Jones’ long-term future with the team into question even if his suspension allows the Cowboys to hold onto him beyond the August 29 53-man roster deadline.
The running back played a key role during the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl run in the 2020 season. Jones posted a career-high numbers with 192 carries for 978 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns during the title run. He also added 28 receptions for 165 yards and a TD through the air.
Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy: ‘I Don’t Look at Them Trying to Fill Zeke’s Role’
Aside from Jones’ future, the Cowboys running back group will be a position worth watching as the team begins the post-Ezekiel Elliott era. Head coach Mike McCarthy has emphasized that the team’s goal is not to replace Elliott but best utilize their current group of rushers.
“No, I don’t look at them trying to fill Zeke’s role,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters on July 25. “I mean, Zeke’s a special football player. He’s a primary ball distribution focal point for us long before I got here and definitely the last three years.
“So, how those opportunities are distributed, we’ll answer that as we get into the games. This is not a ‘this guy gets Zeke’s touches.’ That’s not the format. It’s really [a question of] how are we going to utilize the whole perimeter group.”