RENTON, Wash. — Ernest Jones IV was recent off his commerce from the Tennessee Titans when the Seattle Seahawks hit their bye in early November, in order a lot of his new teammates had been getting away for the week off, the fourth-year inside linebacker was nonetheless shifting in.
“Lastly getting out of the resort,” Jones mentioned after the Seahawks’ Week 10 bye. “Now we’re simply ready on our furnishings to get right here.”
Jones and his spouse discovered a home within the Seattle space. After being traded twice in two months, and taking part in an enormous hand within the midseason transformation of coach Mike Macdonald’s protection, the pending free agent might have discovered a house with the Seahawks.
“We love him,” Macdonald mentioned this week. “He is an excellent participant and there is a poise to how he operates, which I respect. I feel the man loves soccer. These are the blokes that do very well right here. He would do nice in a number of organizations, in all probability each group, however I feel he is an excellent match right here. We love him, and I feel he loves it right here too. It has been nice up to now.”
With the Seahawks out of playoff rivalry, Jones’ whirlwind season will finish Sunday the place it started when Seattle faces the Los Angeles Rams (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox) at SoFi Stadium.
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In step with their MO of not paying large cash to inside linebackers, the Rams traded Jones to Tennessee in August because the 2021 third-round choose was about to start the ultimate 12 months of his rookie contract. Whereas few may have imagined it on the time, Jones’ transfer out of the NFC West really paved his approach to Seattle.
The Seahawks’ run protection struggled badly out of the gate, partly due to subpar play from Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker, the 2 veteran inside linebackers that they had signed in free company to one-year offers. Normal supervisor John Schneider and his scouts started scouring the remainder of the league for upgrades.
They recognized a possible answer in Tennessee, figuring the Titans would not be capable to pay each Jones and inside linebacker Kenneth Murray, and that their 0-3 begin would possibly make them keen to half with one in all them. Schneider obtained in touch with Titans president of soccer operations Chad Brinker, with whom he has been shut since hiring him to the Inexperienced Bay Packers’ entrance workplace in 2010.
Schneider requested about each linebackers, however Jones was the one the Seahawks actually needed. After a pair days of conversations, Jones was theirs on Oct. 23 in alternate for Baker and a 2025 fourth-round choose.
“We have now a very good relationship,” Schneider instructed Seattle Sports activities 710-AM about Brinker, “and simply had the strains of communication open and needed to go for it. Jerome’s an excellent man, however he was deciding between Tennessee and us in free company, and so the whole lot simply sort of made sense.”
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Jones hit the bottom operating in Seattle — having come from the same defensive scheme in Tennessee — with 15 tackles in his Seahawks debut in Week 9 regardless of just one follow and a walk-through beneath his belt after his midweek commerce. His 85 tackles in 9 video games with Seattle leads the group by 30.
Jones, who changed Dodson because the group’s defensive signal-caller, had an interception within the Seahawks’ Week 14 win over the Arizona Cardinals, making amends for a dropped choose 4 weeks earlier in a loss to the Rams. However his largest impression has been with Seattle’s run protection, which ranked twenty eighth over the primary seven video games (146.1 yards per recreation) and has ranked eighth since Week 9 (97.8).
When security Julian Love was requested early in that turnaround what’s been working for the Seahawks’ run protection, he first pointed to Jones.
“I feel quantity 13 might be what’s working,” Love mentioned. “That dude’s a stud. All of us actually admire having him, and he is simply such a very good chief by way of he is very regular, he communicates clearly, and above all, he is a canine. He has a see-ball, get-ball mentality. When you might have that, guys are taking part in off him.”
Married with a new child son, Jones is so mature that Macdonald simply forgets he solely turned 25 in November. He is solely a 12 months older than rookie inside linebacker Tyrice Knight, who took over on the weak facet after Seattle waived Dodson.
“Yeah,” Macdonald mentioned. “Thoughts blowing.”
Macdonald has famous all of the parallels between how the Seahawks added Jones and the Ravens’ acquisition of Roquan Smith in 2022, whereas Macdonald was Baltimore’s coordinator. Each had been midseason trades for inside linebackers that helped flip his struggling protection round in Yr 1.
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However whereas Baltimore prolonged Smith late that season, the Seahawks might should sweat out free company in an effort to maintain Jones long-term. He is amongst a handful of key gamers who will likely be in line for brand spanking new offers, a gaggle that features quarterback Geno Smith, broad receiver DK Metcalf, left deal with Charles Cross, outdoors linebacker Boye Mafe and others.
Whereas these gamers are all beneath contract by 2025, Jones is about to develop into a free agent in March. His deal might be the primary large domino of the offseason if the 2 sides come to an settlement.
“Coaches like me right here, I like it right here, I’d like to be right here,” he mentioned. “However so far as extension or free company, I am sort of simply letting my agent deal with it, letting the group deal with it, and hopefully we will get one thing achieved so I will be round.”
