Tampa Bay Buccaneers Activate Ronald Jones II From Reserve/COVID-19 List

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers activated running back Ronald Jones II from the reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced Tuesday evening.

Jones has missed the past two games against the Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions after being placed on the list on Dec. 16.

The list serves as a roster designation for players who either test positive for COVID-19 or come in close contact with someone who tested positive, determined by contact tracing. This does not mean Jones had tested positive for COVID-19.

It's unclear if Jones will play this week in the regular-season finale vs. the Falcons. In addition to being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Jones underwent surgery to repair a fractured pinky which he suffered in the Bucs' 26-14 win over the Vikings.

“Your guess is as good as mine still," head coach Bruce Arians said Monday about Jones being available to play. "Hopefully he’s clearing the COVID [protocols] and we can get him into the building to look at him and see if he can play with [his injury]. I’ve got my fingers crossed that we can get him a bunch of game action this week, but I’m not going to risk it [if he is] not able to protect himself.”

In his absence, Leonard Fournette served as the team's starting running back with Ke'Shawn Vaughn serving as the second back. Fournette carried the ball 23 times for 83 yards and three touchdowns over the course of the last two games, while Vaughn rushed for 68 yards on 17 carries in the past two weeks.

Prior to his finger injury and being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Jones was third in the NFL with 900 rushing yards. While averaging 5.0 yards per run, Jones had rushed for six touchdowns and added 28 catches for 165 yards.