With the blink of an eye, Peyton Barber’s stay atop the Buccaneers depth chart may have just disappeared, as the team selected the Ronald Jones in the early second round. Though Bucs GM Jason Licht maintains Barber will remain involved, Jones’ far superior talent should eventually win out and render Barber useless by midseason.
Despite finishing strong over 2017’s final five weeks (and even leading the team in rushing), Barber’s grip on the Buccaneers starting role never felt real. This was fully realized after Tampa Bay sank the 38th overall pick into explosive rookie Ronald Jones; while Tampa Bay Times’ Greg Auman expects the two backs to “share the load initially,” with Jones gaining usage as he also gains trust by proving himself in key intricacies like pass-protection. In a best case, Jones develops slowly while Barber continues to thrive… but even then, he’ll be behind an ineffective line. More likely, he provides unusable, plodding early season volume and fades into nothingness by midseason. There’s higher upside stabs that can be made.
