The Tampa Bay Buccaneers face a difficult decision at the NFL trade deadline thanks to their depth at running back. Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton has the Buccaneers dealing running back Ronald Jones to the Ravens as one of his five “bold predictions” for the trade deadline despite the team insisting they plan to keep the running back.
“The Baltimore Ravens should offer a late-round pick for Jones. They already lost running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, who tore their ACLs, along with Justice Hill,” Moton detailed. “To shore up the backfield, the front office signed Latavius Murray, Le’Veon Bell and DeVonta Freeman, three guys well beyond their best years.
“The Ravens don’t seem to trust second-year running back Ty’Son Williams, who saw his role shrink after three consecutive starts between Weeks 1 and 3. Jones, who’s just 24 years old, could lead Baltimore’s ground attack and make a strong impression through the remainder of the term.”
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Arians on a Potential Jones Trade: ‘It Would Have to Be Something Really, Really Special’
Heading into Week 9, Jones has 44 carries for 194 yards and a touchdown as Leonard Fournette has emerged as the team’s clear RB1. Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians has said on multiple occasions that the team does not intend to deal Jones by the November 2 deadline.
Teams are known to shoot down trade rumors, but Arians should be taken at his word. Jones’ role as insurance behind Fournette has more value to the Buccaneers than a future day three draft selection. Since Tom Brady signed with the Bucs in 2020, the team has prioritized the present season over anything else when constructing their roster.
“It would have to be something really, really special because I love the way he’s running and it’s just one nick on Leonard [Fournette] and RoJo’s the guy again,” Arians noted during his November 1 press conference. “So to me, it’s still a great one-two punch. It would have to be something extraordinary.”
This coincides with what Arians noted when asked about a potential trade weeks earlier. Arians cited COVID-19 as an added factor to needing depth at the position.
“No, not at all, I mean, it’s a long season and just that scenario that happened last year,” Arians explained during his October 20 press conference. “Still with COVID, you can’t have enough good players.”
A Trade Would Allow the Bucs to Utilize Bernard More
Moton does make a good point that the Buccaneers have a plethora of options at running back behind Fournette including Gio Bernard and Ke’Shawn Vaughn. The Bucs could use one of their running backs to help acquire a cornerback, but player-for-player trades rarely happen in the NFL.
“The Buccaneers also have a solid dual-threat backup running back in Giovani Bernard. Ke’Shawn Vaughn, a 2020 third-rounder with some upside, logged five carries for 27 yards against the Chicago Bears last week,” Moton noted. “The Buccaneers can trade Jones and allow Bernard to take over the No. 2 spot in the backfield. He has 6,687 yards and 35 touchdowns from scrimmage through nine seasons.”
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