Less than 24 hours after reports came about about the Los Angeles Rams looking to trade linebacker Ernest Jones, it appears that they have found a deal. The Los Angeles Rams are sending Ernest Jones and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round pick. This move comes off the heels of Rams general manager Les Snead saying at the league meetings in March that the team was not going to sign Jones to a contract extension ahead of the 2024 season.
https://x.com/Sam_Phalen/status/1828498543390183933/video/1
This is going to be a massive move as the Titans have significantly bolstered their defense from a year ago. They hired defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson and gave him significant new pieces to help the team this year as below is a list of players that are new members of the Tennessee Titans on this side of the football.
- CB L’Jarius Sneed
- CB Chidobe Awuzie
- LB Ernest Jones
- S Quandre Diggs
- S Jamal Adams
- LB Kenneth Murray
- DT Sebastian Joseph-Day
- DT T’Vondre Sweat
The addition of Ernest Jones gives the team one of the best tacklers in the NFL, as he recorded 145 total tackles, six pass deflections and 4.5 sacks in 15 games. According to Pro Football Focus, his 30 pressures were also the best in the NFL. As of this writing, there has not been an extension reported, as Jones is in the final year of his rookie contract.
Can Ernest Jones help the Tennessee Titans make the playoffs this season?
For the Tennessee Titans to make the postseason, it is going to take a lot of heavy lifting. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Titans are +425 to make the playoffs and -650 to miss them entirely. In the AFC South, they are going to have some difficulties as they are in the same division with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans, three teams that are hoping to make the playoffs, if not expected to.
The postseason does not fall on the defense, but the offense. The team is without running back Derrick Henry as he left as a free agent to join the Baltimore Ravens. Young quarterback Will Levis will need to take a significant step forward to have a shot at one of the three AFC Wild Card spots but unless things break their way, do not expect this season to see the Tennessee Titans in the postseason.
About the Author
Vincent Pensabene graduated from Saint Leo University in 2019 with a B.A. in Sport Business and has focused on the media side of sports. He writes for multiple publications and is interested in the reasoning of why things happen. Feel free to follow him on social media @TalkVinTalk and discuss all things sports.
