The Ronald Jones experiment has not exactly worked out well in Tampa Bay.
The Buccaneers selected Jones in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft with the hope that he would eventually become their top running back, but injuries limited him to just nine games and 23 carries during his rookie campaign.
Jones came into 2019 healthy, but the results have not been great, as he has rushed for 482 yards and five touchdowns while averaging a meager 3.9 yards per carry. He has also logged 21 catches for 218 yards.
But in spite of Jones' struggles, head coach Bruce Arians says that he is still the starter moving forward and that the team will get him going, according to Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' team website.
Aside from Week 12, when Jones registered 4.3 yards per attempt on 12 totes in a 35-22 win over the Atlanta Falcons, the second-year back has registered under four yards per carry every game since Week 4.
Most recently, he carried the ball six times for just eight yards last weekend in a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The problem is that even if Arians did want to bench Jones, Tampa Bay doesn't exactly have any other reliable options.
Peyton Barber has totaled 396 yards and six scores on the ground, but he is posting just 3.2 yards per carry. The Bucs' next best rusher? Quarterback Jameis Winston, who has recorded 220 yards.
There are a lot of problems in Tampa right now, but the running game is certainly one of the biggest ones, and the Buccaneers don't appear to have an answer for it.
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