This past offseason, the Seattle Seahawks surprisingly decided to move on from longtime head coach Pete Carroll, choosing to hire former Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald instead. Yet, Seattle’s defense hasn’t been any better.
After allowing 23.6 points per game a year ago, the Seahawks are holding opponents to a 23.4 points per game scoring average, which ranks 19th in the NFL. Now, Coach Macdonald is getting an upgrade at the middle linebacker position.
Related: 1 bold prediction for every game in NFL Week 8, including what happens with the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks swap Jerome Baker for Ernest Jones
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Tennessee Titans have agreed to trade linebacker Ernest Jones IV to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for linebacker Jerome Baker, plus a fourth-round pick.
It’s already the second trade of this season for Jones after the Rams shockingly traded their starting middle linebacker to the Titans just before the schedule kicked off. At that time, the Rams received a fifth-round pick in exchange for Jones and a sixth-round selection.
From that perspective, the Titans did well to upgrade the trade to a fourth-round pick in return while also still getting a serviceable linebacker in Baker.
As for the Seahawks, they’re getting a 24-year-old who grades as the 47th-best linebacker in the league, per Pro Football Focus. While it would seem that he’s a piece that Tennessee could have built around, he’s set to become a free agent at the end of the year, and it’s possible he made it known that he’d prefer to play for a contender.
- Ernest Jones stats (2024): 44 tackles (3 TFL), 2 PD
That’s exactly what he’ll get to do in Seattle, giving the Seahawks a chance to get an early look at whether they want Jones to play a key role in their defense for years to come. After leading the Rams with 145 tackles in 2023, seeing how quickly he develops a strong nose for the football while playing in a new system will be fun to watch.
Related: See where the Seahawks land in Sportsnaut’s NFL Defense rankings before the Ernest Jones trade
