Cowboys RB Ronald Jones: Top NFL Bounce-Back Candidate?
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One new Dallas Cowboy and another former one appear on a new countdown of bounce-back candidates for the 2023 NFL season.
Eagles Today, our sister site, recently broke down seven bounce-back candidates for 2023. Among the names listed was running back Ronald Jones II, who may be set to take on a major role behind Tony Pollard if the Cowboys don't ultimately bring back Ezekiel Elliott or acquire another veteran at the position:
"Speaking of the Cowboys, they signed Jones -- a former Tampa Bay Buccaneer -- to a one-year deal this offseason. Unless Elliott ultimately returns to Dallas, Jones is in line to be perhaps the top back in Dallas behind Pollard. Jones appeared in just six games for the Kansas City Chiefs last season, but had 978 rushing yards for a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that won the Super Bowl in 2020. If coach Mike McCarthy is as committed to the run as he says he is, there should be plenty of carries for Jones to re-establish himself with in 2023."
To some, the Cowboys are taking quite the risk behind Pollard if they want to run the ball as much as McCarthy suggests is the plan. Jones had 17 total carries in 2022. Malik Davis had 38 carries in his rookie season after being signed as an undrafted free agent out of Florida. And though our Mike Fisher is reporting on a high level of confidence inside The Star regarding sixth-round pick Deuce Vaughn, it’s too early to have full answers there.
When you consider that Pollard is coming off of a fractured left fibula and has never had more than 193 rushing attempts in a season, logic says the Cowboys almost need someone like Jones (maybe that someone is actually young Malik Davis?) to step up to help carry the load at running back.
Elsewhere, the countdown also listed former Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz as a bounce-back candidate. Schultz became a candidate a year too late for his own good, as he had 78 catches for 808 yards and eight touchdowns in 2021, but 57 catches for 577 yards and five touchdowns in his contract year. Schultz had to settle for a one-year/$6.25 million deal with the in-state rival Houston Texans, where he'll likely become one of the top targets for rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.
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