Pache.co

KANSAS CITY, MO – NOVEMBER 27: Ronald Jones #2 of the Kansas City Chiefs walks off of the field against the Los Angeles Rams at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on November 27, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

After a year sitting on the sidelines for the majority of the year, running back Ronald Jones hopes for more playing time with the Cowboys.

Ronald Jones is likely hoping for a lot more playing time in 2023. Perhaps the Dallas Cowboys can give it to him.

The Cowboys reportedly signed Jones to a new contract in free agency, a one-year deal that will give him the chance to step into an oft-used backfield as a replacement for Ezekiel Elliott, who was released earlier this offseason after several years with the team.

Jones signed with the Kansas City Chiefs a year ago on a single-season, low-money deal that was supposed to provide him a chance to shine in a new offense after some frustrating years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Instead, the Chiefs found they liked Jones as an option yet they liked other competitors better. That left him as a healthy scratch most weeks—a sort of halfback purgatory from which he could not wiggle free.

That’s not for lack of trying. Jones even stated his case on social media before the NFL trade deadline that he hoped to move on and find a place to play but the Chiefs didn’t budge. While Jones likely wished for more carries, he did get the chance to earn another Super Bowl ring in the process.

In his lone season with the Chiefs, Jones had only 17 carries for 70 yards and 1 touchdown as he watched rookie back Isiah Pacheco take over the position and Jerick McKinnon gobble up whatever was left. In four seasons before this, however, he did average 4.5 yards and show healthy production in four seasons with the Bucs, which bodes well for a better showing going forward.