[snackdaddy]

In today's NFL it seems like nickel defenses are more common as they need more cover guys. Rams don't seem to value the ILB positions as much. They do seem to like Speights. And he'll be a lot cheaper as they don't have to worry about extending Jones. I imagine we will see 5 defensive backs in passing situations. Sometimes 6. Probably 2 or 3 interior guys and two edge rushers. 1 or 2 ILB's. Wouldn't be surprised if the base defense was 3 DT's, 2 OLB's, 1 ILB and 5 DB's. With Verse and Young where does that leave Hoecht? Would they move him inside?

[actionjack]

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2024/0 ... ker-depth/

Good article from DeSilva with Whit takes...the Whit takes wouldnt copy over, so go to article directly....



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.

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.

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.

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.

[actionjack]

I noticed that too…then I thought: He just got done giving a couple dozen guys their walking papers. So that might explain it. Can’t be easy.

Exactly and I am sure he hated having to move Ernest. Frankly I dont know how these coaches handle firing 20-30 young men every year. Brutal

[Elvis]

I'm sure all of that is true but i also got the sense McVay isn't happy with Jones for non football reasons but just a sense, could easily be wrong and we'll never know...

[Rams1PlateSince1976]

Perhaps there was thought that his play got a lot of help from the AD factor?

[BrooklynRam74]

Maybe Jones is...just a guy. We saw his trade value- a swap of 6th Rounders, TWO Drafts later, next we'll see his Free Agent Contract value. I find it interesting that no "contenders" (Chiefs,Bills, Ravens. Bengals) jumped on him but more of a "dreg" team.

[UtahRam]

Tennessee had the balls to ask for a 6th rounder too? LOL

[UtahRam]

Man, reading Andrew Whitworth's disjointed X posts is like driving in a thunderstorm with no windshield wipers.

[ramsww]

What we know? Jones “was” a key piece to the D. No longer. Rams traded him in a NY minute. They obviously saw NO value. Jones never had $$ or extension conversations with Rams. Maybe his agent did. Rams never intended to extend Jones and likely kept him out of practice to ensure they could move him. Jones says his knee is “good”. The Rams did EJ no favors, simply a stone cold business decision. Not criticizing the FO but the timing was odd.

[snackdaddy]

A position they don't value as much as the others on defense. Wanting an extension. He's not pro bowl caliber. Then the knee issue. When you add all that up its not as much a head scratcher as it seemed at first. Rams did him right by allowing his to go elsewhere and get a chance to play more. It also shows confidence in the other guys. Guys who also play special teams.