Seahawks' Ernest Jones Trade Mirrors Mike Macdonald's Past Moves

The addition of Ernest Jones IV has done wonders for the Seattle Seahawks' defense, and it's similar to a move made during Mike Macdonald's past coaching stops.

Jon Alfano | 8 Hours Ago

Oct 27, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) rushes for a touchdown against Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13) during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

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Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks' defense has dramatically improved over the past few weeks, and if there's one turning point in that time, it would be the addition of linebacker Ernest Jones IV.

Jones, who the Seahawks acquired from the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 23, has been an immediate upgrade in the middle of the defense. He's been all over the field through his first four games in the Emerald City, recording 47 total tackles and making several big stops. They've also allowed less than 300 total yards in each of their two games since the bye week — both divisional wins that have helped the Seahawks take the NFC West lead.

To head coach Mike Macdonald, though, a new linebacker coming in and dominating is nothing new.

Think back to 2022, when Macdonald was the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens. On Halloween of that year, the Ravens made a splash at the trade deadline by acquiring star linebacker Roquan Smith from the Chicago Bears. Smith made an immediate difference for the Ravens, as they allowed 20+ points just twice in nine games following the trade (regular season only) after doing so six times in their first eight games.

The parallels are absolutely there for Macdonald, one of the top defensive minds in the league. However, the reasons for each move were very different, even if the results are similar.

"These decisions aren't just like me just sitting there being like 'I need a linebacker,'" Macdonald said Monday. "In Baltimore, the player acquisition is unique to them versus how we do it here. I think how we handled it here was 'Hey, there's an opportunity to get a great inside backer that will really help our defense move forward.'

"Talk about force multiplier, things like that, and a person that we really feel strong about in Ernest [Jones IV]. It just so happened that adding a great player at that position at that point in time was going to be great for us. Obviously, given returns for both units, it's been good. I think the mentality of always trying to get better, always chasing these edges of how to how to improve, that's the important thing."

After Smith's strong first impression in Baltimore, the Ravens signed him to a five-year, $100 million extension to keep him around for the long haul. With how well Jones is playing already, Macdonald and the Seahawks hope to keep the pending free agent to an extension as well.