Cowboys RB Ronald Jones suspended for violating NFL's PED policy

Dallas Cowboys running back Ronald Jones was suspended two games by the NFL on Monday for violating the league's performance-enhancing substances policy.

The league announced the ban in a statement. The statement did not specify what substance triggered the suspension. Jones will miss Cowboys games in Weeks 1 and 2 against the New York Giants and New York Jets. He'll be eligible to return in Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals.

Jones denied on social media that that he has knowingly taken a banned substance, writing: "I love this game and would never cheat it."

The Cowboys signed Jones as a free agent in March for depth behind starter Tony Pollard. Pollard is recovering from a broken fibula sustained in the playoffs last season, but is participating in training camp in anticipation of being ready to play Week 1.

Jones, 26, is entering his sixth NFL season. He played his first four seasons as a part-time starter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before joining the Kansas City Chiefs last season, where he played sparingly, tallying 70 yards on 17 carries in six games.

For his career, Jones has averaged 4.4 yards per carry and 449 rushing yards per season while tallying 19 rushing touchdowns. He's also tallied 77 receptions for 593 yards and a touchdown.

Second-year running back Malik Davis is also on the roster and expected to compete for a regular role in Dallas' offense. The Cowboys also selected rookie Deuce Vaughn from Kansas State in the sixth round of April's draft.

Fantasy impact

While Jones isn't on the fantasy football radar — going undrafted in the vast majority of Yahoo leagues — Pollard is among the most intriguing running backs in fantasy ahead of the season. Pollard's current average draft position has him coming off draft boards in the second round (17.8 overall), with the Yahoo Fantasy analyst consensus ranks him as 2023's seventh best running back.

Davis and Vaughn aren't fantasy draft assets at this point, but the two young running backs are worth watching in the preseason to see if one emerges as the clear second back in Dallas. The same goes for Rico Dowdle, who has been getting some training camp hype.

Pollard is coming off a career-high 193-carry season and a major injury, but is in line for the most touches of his career. Not knowing how he'll stand up to the bigger workload means a late-round pick or an early waiver claim on one of the young understudies could end up paying off. — Yahoo Fantasy staff