Per a report, the Kansas City Chiefs have no plans to give running back Ronald Jones the release he was hoping to receive.
If Ronald Jones was hoping to influence things by dropping a few hints on Twitter in the past week, the Kansas City Chiefs aren’t listening. Even after Jones publicly stated his hopes for a release from the Chiefs, a report has emerged from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler saying that the team has no intention of giving in to his demands.
Fowler’s report added that the Chiefs like Jones’ potential production and that they hope to give Jones some looks eventually in the course of such a long regular season and postseason.
To fully understand the situation from both sides is to take a step back in each direction. The Chiefs recently granted a release requested just several days ago to wide receiver Daurice Fountain, who was stuck on the practice squad in a crowded space at wideout. Fountain was then released and found an immediate new home with the Chicago Bears, a team that should give him more opportunity for playing time.
Jones signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs this offseason and immediate expectations were that he could supplant Clyde Edwards-Helaire for more playing time or at least provide a nice tandem partner. From there, however, the Chiefs also re-signed Jerick McKinnon after a red-hot postseason in 2021 and drafted Isiah Pacheco in the seventh round of the draft.
Six months after signing, Jones has been a mainstay on the team’s inactive list each week as the Chiefs apparently like the committee approach with the trio they have now. Without a single carry to his name this year, Jones then tweeted out the following over the team’s bye week.
Sure would like a RELEASE right about now
— Rojo ひ “The Breeze” (@rojo) October 29, 2022
From there, rumors surfaced that the Chiefs might release him or at least try to trade him before the NFL’s trade deadline on Tuesday afternoon. As it turns out, the Chiefs have plans for him despite the lack of playing time so far this season.
From the Chiefs’ perspective, if they like Jones’s talents, they also know they don’t have another back like him—even among those getting playing time already. The Chiefs have watched Edwards-Helaire deal with injury issues as well as McKinnon in the past. It’s also true that fatigue can really set in over the course of a 17-game season before the games even really start to matter. From that point of view, it makes sense why the Chiefs want that security blanket.
Ultimately, football is all about competition and if RoJo wants more playing time, then he can earn it by looking better than the others in practice. For now that looks like his only way out of his current situation.