Jones' struggles with drops during practice haven't gone unnoticed by the Tampa Bay coaching staff, ESPN.com's Jenna Laine reports. "In college, there was probably a reason why [Jones] was only thrown the ball 17 times," said Bucs running backs coach Tim Spencer. "He's never going to be the best catching guy on the team, but he certainly can improve on catching the balls that we want to throw to him."
In addition to commenting on the rookie second-round pick, Spencer acknowledged Peyton Barber has solidified his own place atop the depth chart. Jones may still enter Week 1 with some kind of role in the backfield, but he hasn't exactly made the best case for himself with 12 carries for 11 yards and a touchdown through two preseason games. The USC product only caught 32 passes in 40 collegiate appearances, though he did average 13.4 yards on 14 receptions last year, proving to be dangerous once he got the ball in his hands.