By Dianna Russini, Jourdan Rodrigue and Joe Rexrode
The Los Angeles Rams are trading inside linebacker Ernest Jones to the Tennessee Titans in one of the most notable transactions leading up to the league’s training camp cutdown deadline Tuesday, according to team and league sources. The Titans will also send a 2026 sixth-round pick to Los Angeles, while the Rams will receive a 2026 fifth-rounder, per a team source.
News of a possible trade of Jones, a Rams team captain, began Sunday when the Rams alerted the linebacker they were open to trading him, per a team source. Jones has started since his rookie year, but now enters his fourth season without a contract extension after the Rams halted talks in the spring.
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Sean McVay on Ernest Jones trade talk, more
Jones posted via X that he never requested a trade Sunday, but deleted the post. Rams coach Sean McVay confirmed Monday that Jones didn’t ask for a trade and added, “We’ve had communication with his representation.” McVay said Jones has handled the situation like a “pro.”
“These are parts of the profession,” McVay said, “they are not fun parts but they are real parts that you have to acknowledge. Ernest is a pro in every sense of the word. We’re just kind of dealing with it a day at a time.”
Jones is coming off a 2023 season where he picked up 145 total tackles and 4 1/2 sacks. Potentially motivating the Rams’ openness to move Jones is the emergence of rookie Omar Speights, who Snead said will make their game-day roster — in tandem with the reality that Jones will not receive an extension in Los Angeles.
Why Rams moved on from Jones
Let’s not sugarcoat the multiple truths here.
One, the Rams had already made it clear in the spring that they would not be getting an early extension done for Jones. Sometimes they have waited until training camp for these, but when it became clear they were committed to letting Jones play out his fourth season teams began sniffing around to see if he would be available. GM Les Snead has a saying: “If it is inevitable, make it immediate.”.
Two, Jones missed some practice time in the spring due to a knee issue but was back in camp. Yet the time he did miss, plus the Rams’ four joint practices, allowed the coaches to get a long look at Speights, a rookie UDFA, who will make their game-day roster. The Rams do not invest financially in their ILB position so the emergence of a young player on a full-tenure rookie deal became an asset. Still, the Rams will miss Jones’ leadership (he was a team captain) and his ability as a blitzer. Both qualities, by the way, make him a good fit with Titans DC Dennard Wilson. — Jourdan Rodrigue, senior Rams writer
Injuries necessitated linebacker upgrade
Jones should be in position to start for the Titans — perhaps right away — though Jack Gibbens shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand. Gibbens and offseason signing Kenneth Murray have been running with the ones together, and Gibbens had a decent camp. But Jones and Murray would be an intriguing and potentially impactful combination.
Two young contenders are out of the picture now. Fourth-round pick Cedric Gray is out indefinitely with a nerve-related shoulder injury, and Chance Campbell — whose play in camp pushed him up the depth chart and perhaps in a position to challenge Gibbens — tore his ACL on Sunday at New Orleans and is out for the season. At the very least, Jones gives the Titans a third reliable presence at the position. — Joe Rexrode, senior staff writer
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(Photo: Cooper Neill / Getty Images)
