Things happen remarkably quickly in the NFL, especially when you’re on the outside looking in. Take the Ernest Jones trade, for example. On Saturday, he was viewed by the general public as a key player for the Rams and likely a captain of the defense once again.
On Sunday, news broke that the team was looking to trade him, and by Tuesday afternoon, he was shipped off to Tennessee in a deal with the Titans.
So how does a player go from team captain and leader of the defense to being dealt for a late-round pick swap? Even a day later, it’s hard to understand why the Rams traded Jones and a 2026 sixth-rounder for a measly 2025 fifth-round pick.
Let’s start with what we know. Jones, 24, is entering the final year of his rookie contract. That alone causes his trade value to be lower because the team acquiring him only has one year of control. And we already know Jones was seeking an extension with the Rams, which Les Snead said publicly the team would not give him right now.
Another factor in this is Jones’ knee. He missed time last season with a knee injury, which also caused him to be sidelined for part of OTAs this spring. A few weeks ago, that same knee injury popped up again, which created some concern about his long-term health. The Rams haven’t disclosed exactly what’s wrong with Jones’ knee other than that they got “good news” on it on Aug. 13, but might it be an ongoing problem like Todd Gurley’s knee was? Who knows.
Even with the combination of his contract situation and knee injury aren’t enough to explain why the Rams A) traded him now and B) why they got a bag of peanuts in return. So let’s dive a bit deeper.
Jones wanted a new contract
Very simply, the Rams don’t put much value in the linebacker position. They never have and probably never will. This is a team that’s started Micah Kiser, Troy Reeder, Mark Barron, Cory Littleton and Kenny Young at inside linebacker. The only exceptions were Bobby Wagner in 2020 and Jones, who the Rams spent a third-round pick on in 2021.
As a defense that’s frequently in nickel and dime packages with just one inside linebacker on the field, the Rams just don’t feel they need top-end talent at the position. It’s an approach many teams across the NFL have taken, too. It’s not quite to the level of running backs, but inside linebackers have been devalued over the years with teams skewing more heavily toward the passing game.
The Rams knew they weren’t going to give Jones a contract this year and they probably weren’t going to give him one next offseason after his deal expired, either. Sure, they could’ve let him walk and recouped a compensatory pick in the 2026 draft, but if the Rams are aggressed in free agency next year, it could’ve negated that potential comp pick.
His knee is a bigger problem than we know
This is probably the best explanation and the most logical reason for the trade. It’s also probably why the return was minimal for Los Angeles.
During his media session Tuesday, Sean McVay suggested that Jones’ knee injury really hindered his progress and availability this offseason. And when you’re not on the field, that hurts your chances of playing meaningful snaps in the regular season.
“It was tough too because there were a lot of opportunities that he missed that he wasn’t available to get reps and be able to be a part of some of the things that we emphasized,” McVay said. “Then when you do, you’re a little bit behind the eight ball and those other guys did really well. We work hard at trying to be able to evaluate it. Those two guys did great. Jake [Jacob] Hummel’s been a guy that’s always been right there. He has been a special teams contributor. Those two young rookies that I talked about, they really showed well and they made an impact from that position. Some of the different things that we’re asking of that spot, I think those guys did a really good job of grasping it and moving forward. In all fairness, Ernest, there weren’t maybe as many opportunities just because of some of the time missed, but that was what related to the football decision.”
McVay elaborated on the subject when he was asked if the injury didn’t give him enough time to evaluate Jones, but that wasn’t the case. He said it just made it “a little bit more challenging evaluation” because he was “a little bit behind” and “he missed out on a lot of time.”
Based on reports out of camp, it didn’t seem as if Jones missed that much time on the field, but McVay obviously felt like it was an issue, particularly as the perceived leader of the defense and signal caller on that side of the ball.
Jones regressed as a player
The Rams wouldn’t trade Cooper Kupp if he were seeking a new contract and also dealing with a knee injury that caused him to miss time. They didn’t trade Aaron Donald when he held out in 2017 and 2018. They exercise patience with their top players. That wasn’t the case with Jones.
Maybe, just maybe, he took a step back this offseason.
That seems to be something Andrew Whitworth alluded to on social media Tuesday in response to fans’ questions about why the Rams traded Jones for so little in return. Whitworth was asked why the team would trade Jones for a late-round pick swap instead of just holding onto him for the season and letting him walk. His response was telling.
Now you have culture where guys trust you. We not going to pay you and want to move younger. We will do right by you and not hold you hostage. Let you go earn it.
Greater later for everyone.
— Andrew Whitworth (@AndrewWhitworth) August 28, 2024
Whitworth, who visited practice a few times this summer and remains close with McVay, is more privy to conversations in the Rams’ building than the average fan or analyst. He probably knows something we don’t, which is that Jones may have been overtaken by Christian Rozeboom, Troy Reeder, Jacob Hummel or Omar Speights for the starting role.
Essentially, Whitworth is saying the Rams didn’t want to keep an unhappy player who fell out of favor on the roster, leading to frequent questions for McVay and the coaches about why he wasn’t starting or playing at all.
Whitworth went on to say that “clearly health or performance wasn’t there. Which led to the decision.” And as for the minimal return in the trade, he made a good point that the Cowboys, Chargers and Texans all scrimmaged with the Rams, and none of them traded for Jones despite not being rich with linebacker talent.
Not to mention, teams aren’t exactly prioritizing inside linebackers in today’s NFL.
So many ways to address this as well.
1. Let’s start with make a list of great teams heavily invested financially at MLB.
2. 3 teams scrimmaged with rams in preseason. None involved in trade. Hmm wonder what they saw. All loaded ILB? Nope
3. Track record- Rams under Snead…— Andrew Whitworth (@AndrewWhitworth) August 28, 2024
During McVay’s press conference, he got uncharacteristically frustrated with questions about the move. When asked how this move is “best for the football team,” McVay challenged the reporter.
McVay: “How do you take what I said? What do you think that means?
Reporter: “You said it’s best for the football team.”
McVay: “That’s what it means. It’s best for the football team. It’s basically an evaluation of work based on short and long-term.”
He then laughed and sarcastically muttered, “you guys are funny,” before saying “let’s hurry this up.” It sure sounds like McVay didn’t want to say Jones regressed and wasn’t the team’s best linebacker anymore.
I’ve watched a ton of Sean McVay press conferences and for the most part he’s
always been cordial with the media. Some of the questions asked by our beat writers appeared to get under his skin… specifically this one by @AdamGrosbard. “You guys are funny. Lets hurry this up”. pic.twitter.com/5WY8jfuQhL— Allen Sales (@AllenSales) August 28, 2024
It’s also possible the Rams like the versatility of their other linebackers more than Jones, who is a terrific run defender and blitzer but has had his share of struggles in coverage.
“This was a decision that we feel like is best for our football team with the guys that we have,” McVay said. “I think Troy Reeder and Rozeboom are excellent. I think Jake Hummel has got versatility and I couldn’t be more impressed with Omar Speights and his emergence as a young undrafted rookie free agent making the team. ‘Eli’ Neal is another guy. We have a bunch of different things that we can do personnel-wise with some of the guys that we have on the back end and on our front. Doesn’t take anything away from Ernest, but every decision that we make, and I think you guys know me well enough now is what we think is best for our football team. This is in alignment with that.”
When you combine these three key factors – contract, health and performance – it’s slightly easier to see why the Rams dumped Jones less than two weeks before the season. It doesn’t make it any less shocking, particularly considering the low value they got in the trade, but it somewhat explains the deal.
This wasn’t a situation where teams were calling the Rams looking to trade for Jones. They made it known that he was on the block. That on its own hurt their leverage, showing just how badly they wanted to move on from the fourth-year linebacker.
The likeliest explanation for this all is that Jones’ missed time in camp caused him to get overtaken by other linebackers on the depth chart and the Rams didn’t want to keep him on the bench when he could have an opportunity to contribute elsewhere.
