Rather than sit down at the negotiation table with Ernest Jones to hash out a contract extension, the Los Angeles Rams opted to trade the former 2021 third-round linebacker to the Tennessee Titans for a 2026 fifth-round draft pick.
Only those willing to do backflips in honor of Rams brass were able to justify this decision. Some said it was injury-related, others said he wanted too big a contract for what he was worth. Others said Jones was a squeaky wheel too loud to tolerate.
Do The Los Angeles Rams Regret Trading LB Yet?
But after having just watched a game in which the Cardinals’ offense literally ran all over the Rams’ defense, one can’t deny the importance of what Jones brought to the Rams. Jones’s keen ability in run fits would have stifled James Connor and his ability to get from sideline to sideline would have helped contain Kyler Murray.
Those two combined for 182 yards on the ground at a 7-yard per-carry clip.
If the Rams don’t yet miss those attributes, perhaps his steadfastness as a tackler could sway them. His replacements, Christian Rozeboom and Troy Reeder missed a total of eight tackles combined (6 for Rozeboom, and 2 for Reeder). That is more than Jones missed in all of 2022.
Jones was dealing with a knee injury for much of the offseason, but that has not seemed to slow his performance in the regular season. The Titans got him off to a slow start in his first game with the team. He played about half the defensive snaps, but by Week 2 Jones played every snap. In that game, he led the team in tackles with nine while not missing one tackle including against one of the league’s best running backs, Breece Hall.
He also led the team in STOPs with five. Rozeboom and Reeder combined for five against Arizona.
We won’t know who the Rams will add with their portion of the trade until April of 2026, but as of right now, they look to have lost this transaction.
