One of the more surprising moves of the offseason made by the Los Angeles Rams was the decision to trade away linebacker Ernest Jones.
Jones led the team in tackles in 2023 and at just 25 years old seemed like a player who could be a core piece of Sean McVay’s defense for years to come.
That is why it was so surprising to see Jones traded to the Tennessee Titans just before the start of the regular season and the reasoning as to why the move was made remains unclear. The Titans have since traded Jones to the Seattle Seahawks and the Rams must now prepare for their first meeting against their former teammate.
McVay recently discussed the Jones trade, and even seeming to admit that the deal may not have been the right move to make.
“I think I’ve been pleased with some of the things that guys have done,” McVay said. “It’d be hard to deny the production that he’s had when you look at what he’s done at Tennessee and even just in his first week there last week. He’s a great player and he did a lot of good things for us.
“I think all the decisions that we make in the moment we feel like are in the best interest. I’m not going to pretend and act like every decision is accurate. You try to be able to learn from it and apply it moving forward, but you know that you’re playing against a really well-respected player, mentally and physically tough. [It] seems like he’s always around the football. I wish him well and it’s going to be a great challenge going against him.”
So far this season, Jones has 59 tackles, which would be the most on the Rams, along with three tackles for loss and two passes defensed. In his first game with the Seahawks last week, he totaled a season-high 15 tackles.
It isn’t often that coaches or executives publicly express regret over a move or admit that they may have been wrong. McVay didn’t quite say that he and the Rams were wrong to trade Jones, but his words do seem to suggest that this was one he might like to have back. Whatever the case, Jones is now on the other side and will be motivated to make the Rams pay.
Sean McVay praises undrafted LB Omar Speights after first start for Rams
One of the players stepping up for the Rams in place of Ernest Jones was Troy Reeder. But the linebacker was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, forcing Sean McVay to turn to undrafted Omar Speights for his first career start against the Minnesota Vikings and the Rams coach was happy with what he saw.
“I thought he did a nice job,” McVay said. “He played in our base package, and you could see he was in the right spots. He had a couple of those plays where he is arriving violently at the point of attack. Good recognition of some of the concepts that they were doing, whether that be run or play action. I was pleased with Omar.”
