Ernest Jones is an ideal fit for Dennard Wilson's defense
Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon continues investing resources in players that fit both head coach Brian Callahan's offense and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson's defense. Offseason acquisitions that Callahan and Wilson are familiar with such as Tyler Boyd, Chido Awuzie, and Jamal Adams prove that Carthon is willing to go the extra mile to reward his staff with players that fit the system.
Further proof of that was delivered on Tuesday when linebacker Ernest Jones IV was acquired via trade from the Los Angeles Rams.
Wilson is expected to field an uber-aggressive defense that plans to consistently attack backfields. That preferred approach led to free-agent deals with Kenneth Murray and Adams, two defenders who are well-versed in the art of blitzing. Adams was previously coached by Wilson for several seasons during their shared tenure with the New York Jets. Murray, who Jones will start next to at off-ball linebacker, has quickly taken on a leadership role with the Titans.
Wilson spent the 2023 season as the defensive backs coach for the Baltimore Ravens, coaching under John Harbaugh and then-defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who received his own promotion this summer to head coach with the Seattle Seahawks. Despite those ties, Wilson often names Todd Bowles and Gregg Williams, two coaches he's also worked under, as his biggest influences. Bowles and Williams are two of the more aggressive-minded coaches in recent history.
Wilson is expected to follow suit and Jones fits that defensive identity like a glove. The versatile defender led all NFL linebackers in quarterback pressures with 30 last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Jones' PFF pass-rushing grade of 83.1 was the sixth-best mark in the entire league among players at his position.
The Titans have acquired LB Ernest Jones from the Rams, per @Schultz_Report. Last season:
🔵 78.8 PFF grade (13th among LBs)
🔴 86.2 run defense grade (T-7th)
🔵 83.1 pass rush grade (6th)
🔴 18 TFLs (T-4th)
🔵 30 pressures (1st) pic.twitter.com/wv5fCcwzrA— PFF TEN Titans (@PFF_Titans) August 27, 2024
It was a career-best season for Jones in 2023, who totaled personal-highs in tackles (145), sacks (4.5) and pass breakups (6). Carthon mentioned the Titans already held internal discussions about acquiring Jones before third-year linebacker Chance Campbell suffered a season-ending ACL injury in the final preseason game. If anything, as Campbell joined Garret Wallow as Titans linebackers on IR, it only convinced Carthon to pull the trigger on acquiring an ascending 24-year-old defender for the simple cost of swapping a 2026 fifth-round pick for a sixth in the same draft.
The biggest challenge Wilson will face with his off-ball linebackers is figuring out how to deploy them on a snap-by-snap basis. On the surface, Murray and Jones feature somewhat similar skill sets. Both of them excel as blitzers and struggle in pass coverage, though Jones reads-and-reacts better in the run game, supported by his 90.0 run defense grade last season.
What's not in question is that Wilson has been provided the necessary ingredients to comfortably field his aggressive defense with desired personnel weapons. Carthon's ideology is to acquire scheme-fit talents that his coaches playbooks are designed for. Carthon has done that at an extremely high level this offseason.
