Getty Ronald Jones II's name gets floated again in NFL trade rumors.
Ronald Jones hit the trade rumors again after the Tennessee Titans lost star running back Derrick Henry to a potential season-ending injury on Sunday.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians will want a king’s ransom for Jones, who came into the season as a starting running back. A former second-round draft pick, Jones nearly tallied 1,000 yards last season before Leonard Fournette established himself as the top back this season.
“It would have to be something really, really special. Because I love the way he’s running,” Arians told the media on Monday via ESPN’s Jenna Laine. “It’s just one nick on Leonard and then Rojo’s the guy. And so to me, it’s still a great one-two punch. It would have to be extraordinary.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Jones as one of seven potential trade targets for the Titans, which seek to fill a massive void without Henry. Last season’s NFL Offensive Player of the Year, dominated again this season with 937 yards and 10 touchdowns in eight games.
With the news of Titans’ RB Derrick Henry being out indefinitely, RBs that might be available via trade due to depth chart or team’s standing:
🏈Tevin Coleman
🏈David Johnson/Philip Lindsay
🏈Ty’Son Williams
🏈Melvin Gordon (unlikely)
🏈Ronald Jones
🏈Mike Davis
🏈Rashaad Penny
Jones can’t replace Henry’s size, 6 foot-3 and 247 pounds, but Jones produced solid results the past two seasons. He rushed for 978 yards and seven touchdowns amid injuries, and he tallied 724 yards and six touchdowns in 2019. He’s maintained a yards-per-carry average above 4.2 yards since 2019, including this season.
Hence, Arians says he’s serious about keeping him. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reported that the Bucs don’t consider Jones “available for a trade” upon being asked the question several times.
That doesn’t make it impossible for the Bucs to make a move with Jones. The secondary has its share of injuries and other starters remain banged up. Bucs general manager Jason Licht and Titans general manager Jon Robinson have a close working relationship, according to Laine, from Robinson’s time in Tampa Bay.
Getting the right compensation for Jones remains the biggest question with the Titans in particular. Tennessee had improving its secondary on the agenda before the Tuesday trade deadline, too, per Pro Football Network.
The Titans also reduced the possibility of pursuing Jones on Monday afternoon with the signing of veteran running back Adrian Peterson, 36, who hasn’t played this season. Schefter reported that the Titans signed Peterson to the practice squad.
Bucs Seriously Considering a Trade for Cornerback
Tampa Bay looks primed to trade for a cornerback before Tuesday’s trade deadline according to “some in league circles” via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
Numerous names surfaced among potential trade targets during the past few weeks: Denver’s Kyle Fuller, Miami’s Xavien Howard, Pittsburgh’s Joe Haden, Minnesota’s Cam Dantzler, New York Jets safety Marcus Maye. Bleacher Report’s Erin Walsh considers Fuller and Haden “solid options” and added that the Bucs could also target Houston’s Vernon Hargreaves III.
None of those teams are screaming for a running back.
Ravens a Reach Jones Deal With Bucs?
Baltimore really needs a running back, and Jones has been linked to the AFC North team.
What the Ravens can most likely give in exchange doesn’t fit the Bucs’ biggest need. The Ravens have four cornerbacks on injured reserve, so the Bucs receiving a cornerback seems unlikely. Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moto proposed just a late-round draft pick for Jones would suffice.
Arians would arguably say that type of offer wouldn’t be “extraordinary” enough as he phrased it during Monday’s press conference per Laine.
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