Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Ronald Jones II Ruled Out vs. Detroit Lions

The Buccaneers will be without their leading rusher for a second week in a row.

Although it isn't unexpected, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be without starting running back Ronald Jones II against the Detroit Lions on Saturday. 

Head coach Bruce Arians shared on Thursday that Jones has yet to clear league protocol after being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list last week. As such, Jones did not play against the Atlanta Falcons, either.

Shortly prior to being placed on the COVID-19 list, Jones also underwent surgery on a fractured pinky finger.

Leonard Fournette will start in place of Jones for the second week in a row, although it can be expected that the Bucs will split the load between numerous running backs. Fournette and Ke'Shawn Vaughn tallied 16 carries for a combined 53 yards, with Fournette scoring two touchdowns. He didn't receive a rushing attempt, but LeSean McCoy caught three passes for 32 yards against the Falcons, a week removed from a four carry, 32-yard showing vs. the Minnesota Vikings.

Jones has had a productive, yet sometimes inconsistent season for the Buccaneers, perhaps due to a lack of devotion to the run game throughout the year. Averaging five yards per carry, Jones has recorded 900 rushing yards on 180 attempts, scoring six touchdowns on the ground.

Throughout the week prior to the Atlanta game, the Buccaneers saw five players end up on the COVID-19 list: Jones, left tackle Donovan Smith, kicker Ryan Succop, punter Bradley Pinion, and long snapper Zach Triner. The three special teamers ended up with false positive COVID-19 tests and were available for the Falcons game, but Smith was kept home as he was considered a close contact on the Friday before the contest. Smith ended up testing negative and rejoined the team on Tuesday.