Arians says Jones remains Bucs' starter despite Fournette signing

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers added three new running backs this offseason, but none of them will be on top of the depth chart when the season kicks off.

Head coach Bruce Arians said it's still Ronald Jones' job to lose despite the arrivals of veteran LeSean McCoy, third-round rookie Ke'Shawn Vaughn, and former first-round pick Leonard Fournette.

"It's his job. Nothing has changed for him," Arians said of Jones on Thursday, according to Jon Ledyard of Pewter Report. "It's his job, he's got it, he's got to screw it up to lose it and I don't see that happening."

The Buccaneers, who signed Fournette to a one-year deal Wednesday, have yet to see a breakout year from Jones. After an injury-plagued, unimpressive rookie campaign, the 2018 second-round pick racked up 724 yards (4.2 yards per carry) and six touchdowns last season.

Adding a high-profile running back with less than two weeks before the regular season could've meant one of the runners would get cut. With Tampa Bay not expected to release McCoy - the favorite to be dropped - Arians is set to have valuable depth in the backfield.

"That's one position I don't think you can have enough good guys," Arians said, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. "That's the one area where nicks and bruises really add up."

McCoy appeared in 13 games for the Kansas City Chiefs last season, amassing 465 yards and four touchdowns.

Fournette rushed for 1,152 yards and three touchdowns through 15 games for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019. The 2017 fourth overall pick also caught 76 passes for 522 yards.

"Rojo's our guy, (McCoy) is ready for his role, so it's just gonna be building roles as we go along and having enough quality players to finish this thing," Arians added, according to ESPN's Jenna Laine.

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