Titans LB Could Be Traded for Second Time This Season

This Tennessee Titans defensive star could be a trade candidate between now and the NFL deadline.

Ernest Jones celebrates during the Tennessee Titans' game against the New York Jets. / Justin Ford-Getty Images

Shortly before the start of the regular season, the Tennessee Titans acquired linebacker Ernest Jones in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams.

Now, Jones could be on the move again. Or at least that's what Khaled Elsayed of Pro Football Focus thinks.

In a piece where Jones outlines what each NFL team should do between now and the Nov. 5 trade deadline, he suggests that the struggling Titans move multiple pieces—including Jones.

"This season doesn't seem to be heading anywhere for the Titans, so they might start preparing for 2025," Elsayed wrote. "Players like DeAndre Hopkins, Ernest Jones and Tyler Boyd could all be moved."

Hopkins' name has been hot in trade speculation, so that does not come as much of a surprise. Boyd's inclusion is not particularly shocking, either.

But trading Jones just a couple of months after acquiring him would certainly be wild.

Through Tennessee's first five games of 2024, Jones has logged 39 tackles.

The 24-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of South Carolina, was originally selected by the Rams in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

He played in 15 games during his rookie campaign, registering 61 tackles, a sack and a couple of interceptions while helping Los Angeles win a Super Bowl.

The following year, Jones rattled off 114 tackles and a forced fumble. Then, in 2023, Jones broke out, racking up 145 tackles, 4.5 sacks and six passes defended, establishing himself as a genuine star at the linebacker position.

Jones is in the final year of his deal, meaning he will hit free agency in March. The Titans—who are in serious need of a roster reconstruction—may not re-sign the Waycross, Ga. native, so if that's the plan, then it actually would be smart for them to trade him now in order to recoup some value for him.

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