Ronald Jones Injury History & Analysis

The Cowboys released their first "unofficial" depth chart of the season Monday, and it includes RB Rico Dowdle as the backup to Tony Pollard. Malik Davis follows Dowdle, with Ronald Jones fourth and rookie Deuce Vaughn fifth. These preseason depth charts often hold things that aren't close to how the regular season works out. But the rest of this particular depth chart looks legit. We'll certainly be watching Dallas' backfield competition the rest of the way. There is no clear favorite for the No. 2 job -- and still the possibility that the Cowboys import a veteran.

The NFL has suspended Cowboys RB Ronald Jones for the first two regular-season games for violating the PED policy. That's no big news for fantasy football drafts, but his absence won't help Jones' case for working ahead of Malik Davis or Deuce Vaughn. It might even factor into whether he makes the regular-season roster. Of course, if he hasn't appealed yet, Jones could point to totaling just 92 yards over a full season with the Chiefs as evidence that he didn't enhance a thing.

Jon Machota of The Athletic believes RB Malik Davis is “the most likely candidate” to earn Dallas’ RB2 job. His competition includes Ronald Jones and rookie scat back Deuce Vaughn. As Machota admits, the team could bring in a veteran to share the load with Tony Pollard. We’ll see how this situation develops in training camp. For now, outside of ultra-deep formats, Davis isn’t someone we’re looking to buy. The former Florida Gator brings some pass-catching chops with 54 receptions over his final two college seasons. But Davis also went undrafted last April following his redshirt senior campaign. He'll turn 25 in November.

The Cowboys signed RB Ronald Jones to a 1-year deal. In a best-case scenario, Jones would be Dallas' Ezekiel Elliott replacement -- an outcome that would give him plenty of fantasy value. The problem is that Jones' career has headed sharply south since his 192-978-7 rushing line back in 2020. He fell behind Leonard Fournette in 2021, carrying just 101 times for 428 yards and 4 TDs. And then Jones could barely get on the field for the Chiefs last year, finishing with just 17 carries for 70 yards and 1 TD. We're not completely throwing in the towel on Jones, who turns just 26 in August. But we're also not considering him a lock for Dallas' #2 RB job. We'll see what else the offseason brings. If Jones is the Cowboys' biggest addition, it'd be a big win for RB Tony Pollard.