Cementing a spot on the Cowboys’ 53-man roster is proving to be quite a challenge for running back Ronald Jones.
First came the news of a two-game suspension to start the 2023 regular season. Then the just-turned-26-year-old embarking on his sixth NFL season was dealt another setback over the weekend, exiting Saturday’s Blue-White practice early with what has been classified as a groin injury.
Head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters on Monday that the former McKinney North star “is going to miss some time” and would not practice to start the week. The plan, according to McCarthy, is to “see how he moves around to get a better idea of exactly where’s he’s at” as camp progresses.
Jones had been hoping to make every practice rep count, needing to prove his worth early to a team that knows it will be without him for Weeks 1 and 2. Jones was suspended for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy; the former USC Trojan says a doctor-issued prescription for a “heart stimulant” led to a positive test and maintained he was not “cheating the game” with steroid use.
League rules allowed Jones to continue practicing with the team and even play in the upcoming preseason as he looks to stand out within a talented but young running backs room that includes Malik Davis, Rico Dowdle, rookie draft pick Deuce Vaughn, and undrafted free agent Hunter Luepke behind starter Tony Pollard.
The Cowboys’ rushing attack is already undergoing a transformation in this first season without Ezekiel Elliott. Pollard has been electric with his touches over four pro seasons, enough to warrant the front office placing the franchise tag on him in order to keep him. But whether there will be any lingering after-effects of the high ankle sprain and fractured fibula he suffered in January’s playoff loss to the 49ers still remains to be seen.
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Jones was brought in to be a veteran presence within the position group, but now his availability through mid-September has changed twice inside of a week, and it can’t be guaranteed that he’ll even make the final roster.
While owner Jerry Jones has long teased the possibility of re-signing Elliott, McCarthy continues to make that option sound far-fetched. After the league announced its suspension of the onetime Buccaneer in his first year in Dallas, McCarthy said the overall plan at running back had not changed.
“We’re not just going to hit a bump and give up on the path,” he said per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. “We want to see these young guys. We want to see them play in games.”
But for the time being, he won’t even see Ronald Jones on the practice field.
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