Ronald Jones has a new home, according to a report

Mar 21, 2023 - 6:31 PM

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The Dallas Cowboys are signing former Kansas City Chiefs running back Ronald Jones, according to a report from ESPN’s Todd Archer. Jones visited Dallas on Monday.

The Chiefs signed Jones, 25, to a one-year contract nearly a year ago Tuesday — and at the time of the signing, it seemed like he might be the perfect fit. Darrel Williams was moving on — and Clyde Edwards-Helaire needed a new two for Kansas City’s one-two punch.

But as the 2022 offseason went on, the Chiefs’ running back room became crowded for the former 1,000-yard rusher who likely had been thrilled to get out of the shadow of then-Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette. But Kansas City brought back Jerick McKinnon, who had been their best back during the 2021 NFL playoffs. They also drafted rookie Isiah Pacheco, whom the club liked so much that he was eventually named the starter.

It all led to a training camp where Jones ended up taking third-team reps. Many felt he might even miss the 53-man roster. But Jones made the cut — and what he had hoped would be a year of reemergence turned into a year of being a contingency plan. He only appeared in six regular season games, seeing 10% of snaps and 18 touches — a lower total than his rookie year (2019).

In late October, Jones tweeted he would like to be released, but the club held onto him. The Chiefs did finally activate him down their stretch — and he even showed promise in Week 17, when he had 10 rushes for 45 yards, showing the north-and-south burst he displayed in Tampa Bay.

For whatever reason — most likely a numbers game — it did not work out for Jones in Kansas City. It’s likely the Cowboys essentially said he would get playing time and touches since the team recently said goodbye to Ezekiel Elliot. Jones projects to compete for a backup role behind Tony Pollard.