Here’s an important role Ronald Jones could play for Kansas City Chiefs in 2022

The Kansas City Chiefs were reeling most of the second half, but for one play, they had everything they could have wanted.

This was after a L’Jarius Sneed interception in the fourth quarter, and with the AFC Championship Game tied at 21 against the Cincinnati Bengals, coach Andy Reid and staff dialed up what appeared to be a perfect first-down call near midfield: “GT Counter.”

The flashback, in this instance, is instructive when it comes to the upcoming 2022 Chiefs season. Because what happened next didn’t just impact the outcome that day; it also potentially shaped how the team reimagined itself this offseason.

Most guys appeared to perform their jobs as needed — and perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. The “GT Counter” running play — where the tackle and guard pull as blockers — was a staple for college coach Lincoln Riley during his time at Oklahoma. That meant Chiefs left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and center Creed Humphrey, as former Sooners, were likely plenty familiar with the movements that came next.

Left guard Joe Thuney pulled around to make his block. And Brown did the same, coming through to clear out a cornerback.

It left Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire with a best-case scenario for the offense: one-on-one with a flat-footed safety past the line of scrimmage.

Only it didn’t turn out to be a big play. Not even really a successful one, either.

Edwards-Helaire didn’t exactly follow Brown and instead dreamed bigger. He saw daylight, knowing if he could juke the Bengals’ 5-foot-11, 205-pound Vonn Bell in the open field, he could be running free while providing a home-run-type moment to break the game open.

It didn’t happen, though. Edwards-Helaire didn’t pivot quickly enough after stopping his momentum, with Bell taking full advantage to stop the running back in his tracks while also pushing him backward.

Edwards-Helaire gained four when it could’ve been eight or nine had he followed his block and fallen forward. Or 25-plus if he was able to make one man miss.

Though often overlooked, it was one of many Butterfly Effect moments that set the Chiefs’ eventual fate that day in motion. KC passed on second-and-6, with Patrick Mahomes throwing an incompletion. The QB was sacked on third-and-6, and the Chiefs had to punt while squandering excellent field position.

In the end, it was a critical wasted possession as the Chiefs eventually fell, 27-24 to the Bengals in overtime.

And it also might’ve been the kind of play that led directly to one of general manager Brett Veach’s first moves of the offseason — while potentially explaining what the front office sees in free-agent pickup Ronald Jones II.

First, though, we shouldn’t get too carried away when discussing the 24-year-old Jones. Last season, he had his share of issues with fumbles, drops and pass protection with Tampa Bay, which led to the Chiefs adding him in late March on a relatively cheap, incentive-laden contract.

Jones has one skill, however, that seems like it could fit well with this particular offense and setup: He gets upfield in a hurry — and, in fact, faster than any other back out there.

Numbers from NFL’s Next Gen Stats provide the proof. Last season, among 52 qualified running backs, Jones posted the fastest “average time behind line of scrimmage” on runs, at 2.53 seconds.

This doesn’t appear to be a fluke. Jones ranked third and second in the metric the previous two seasons, which means he’s succeeded in the NFL by getting north and south quickly.

It sure seems like the Chiefs targeted that type of running back by committing to Jones early. And logically, it makes some sense if looking at the big picture for Veach and Reid as they try to push the offense past the biggest issues from a season ago.

One of KC’s most significant failings in 2021 was an inability to take advantage of defenses that played light boxes. More specifically, KC was held back by its tailbacks, as the team’s run-blocking graded out as excellent by most advanced metrics, including ESPN’s run-block win rate; the Chiefs ranked third as a team in that facet among NFL offenses.

The problem was that too often, if the offensive line opened up 4-5 rushing yards ... the Chiefs only got 4-5 yards. And when that happened, the pass-happy Reid (and Mahomes, when it comes to run-pass option plays) often quickly transitioned back to throwing the football, which is not bad in a general sense but can be less than ideal when defenses are loading up in coverage.

What happens, though, if the Chiefs can turn those 4-yard runs into 8- or 9-yard scampers? What if, in exchange for seeking a big play, the Chiefs instead focus on pushing the pile ahead, happy to accept the efficiency of 8-yard runs that consistently put the offense in scenarios where they are less predictable on their next down?

Jones, at his best, could provide this type of weapon for the Chiefs. And we can see what it might look like from a highlight against the New Orleans Saints last season, as Jones follows a pulling lineman into the hole and then delivers a shot to the safety, gaining 4 yards after contact to turn a 5-yard gain into 9.

Maybe there’s more upside left with Jones, as well. He’s still young, at 24, and despite a poor season in 2021, his previous year’s numbers were much better when he posted the sixth-best Pro Football Focus “run” grade among 61 qualified backs. Jones may have been a prime buy-low candidate for that reason alone.

It’s also worth mentioning that all this could become moot if the Chiefs get the Edwards-Helaire they expected after taking him in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Edwards-Helaire has battled all sorts of injuries (ankle, hip, knee, gallbladder surgery), so there’s at least the chance that putting those ailments behind him will unlock the type of runner the Chiefs haven’t seen yet.

Jones, however, seems like a potential high-floor option in his own right, potentially giving the Chiefs a more explosive version of a player who was helpful for them in the past.

Last season, a bit behind Jones on the list, the Chiefs’ Darrel Williams (now with the Arizona Cardinals) ranked 10th in Next Gen Stats’ “average time behind line of scrimmage.” That get-up-the-field ability made him the Chiefs’ top goal-line back, as he rushed for a team-high six touchdowns.

It also helped the Chiefs the year before in a now-familiar situation. In the 2020 AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium, Reid and the Chiefs ran GT Counter at the 6-yard line, with Willams following the pulling block of left tackle Eric Fisher.

Williams didn’t hesitate when he saw Buffalo safety Jordan Poyer in the hole. He lowered his head to run through him, making contact at the 2 before plowing ahead to reach across the goal line.

The Chiefs regained a lead they would never relinquish in a 38-24 win that sent them to the Super Bowl. And that carry by Williams was the type of Butterfly Effect moment that shouldn’t go overlooked.