Ronald Jones looking forward to ‘1-2-3 punch’ from Chiefs running backs

Kansas City Chiefs running back Ronald Jones — who joined the team as a free agent after spending the first four years of his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — had his first introduction to the team while participating in quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ private workouts in Texas.

“I think that definitely helped,” he told Kansas City reporters after the team’s mandatory minicamp practice on Wednesday. “For him to be able to see my speed on routes, my timing coming out of breaks and things like that. It just helps translate to when you’re actually on the field with live bullets.”

In fact, Jones said it helped so much that Mahomes and the other offensive skill players intend to get together for more Texas workouts during their time off, which begins on Friday and will last until the beginning of training camp in late July.

In the meantime, Jones is thrilled to be in Kansas City with his new teammates.

“It’s great,” he declared. “I love the atmosphere — real team-oriented. So you know, things like that make it an easier work environment.”

But he said he chose to come to the Chiefs for an entirely different reason.

“I thought they were the most Super Bowl-ready team now,” he explained, “[in order] to get back there and get my second ring. That played a big factor. Obviously the quarterback, the system, the coaches — it just fits a running back’s type of scheme.”

And after spending some time with the team, he’s convinced that his skills will fit what Kansas City needs.

“I think they’re going to translate well,” he said. “You know, [there are] a lot of similarities to what I’ve done in the past down in Tampa. [I’m] just correlating it and getting the rest of the playbook down.”

And he’s not at all worried about the competition in the running back group, which currently consists of seven players competing for three or four roster spots.

“It’s a long season,” noted Jones. “Preseason included, it could go 24 games. It’s going to take more than just one guy. That’s what I’ve been looking forward to — a 1-2-3 punch, if you will.

“It’s all good.”