Cowboys sign running back Ronald Jones II to a one-year contract

According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, the Dallas Cowboys are signing running back Ronald Jones II to a one-year contract. Jones visited The Star on Monday prior to signing.

The Cowboys were in need of depth at the running back position following the release of veteran Ezekiel Elliott. As of now, Jones will likely assume the role as Tony Pollard’s primary backup ahead of Malik Davis.

Despite having an up-and-down career, Jones has been a part of two Super Bowl teams in Tampa Bay and this past season in Kansas City. His best season came in 2020, where he rushed for 978 yards and seven touchdowns on 192 carries with the Buccaneers.

Jones, 25, was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 38th pick in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of USC. As a junior with the Trojans, he ran for over 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns averaging just shy of six yards per carry.

He would spend the next four years in Tampa Bay, where he helped them win the Super Bowl in 2021 with 12 carries for 61 yards in the game. He was picked up by the Kansas City Chiefs for the 2022 season, where he won another title as part of a committee in the backfield with Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

It has been rumored that the Cowboys are interested in drafting a running back this year, even as high as in the first round if Texas star tailback Bijan Robinson is available. It is still unclear whether this signing shifts that line of thinking in the Dallas building.