Throughout his three-year career, Ernest Jones has played on the same defense as stars such as Aaron Donald, Bobby Wagner and even Von Miller. It’s been hard for him to stand out as a star in his own right, but that could change in 2024 now that he’s established himself as one of the team’s most important players.
Jones was excellent last season, his first year as the middle linebacker for the Rams. He played 15 games, had a career-high 145 tackles and racked up 4.5 sacks. Though there’s room for him to improve in coverage, he’s already become one of the better linebackers in football.
He’s just not getting the respect he deserves yet. Pro Football Focus ranked every linebacker unit in the NFL and the Rams were buried at No. 25 on the list. Now, these rankings include backups and not just individual starters, but Jones should still be viewed more highly than he is right now.
Ernest Jones garnered an impressive 86.2 PFF run-defense grade in 2023 to rank tied for seventh at the position, but he didn’t earn a 60.0-plus PFF coverage grade in either of the past two seasons.
Christian Rozeboom looks set to start next to him, coming off a season that earned him just a 47.9 PFF overall grade on 579 snaps.
Last season, Jones was the 11th-highest-graded linebacker in the league. His run-defense grade of 86.2 put him sixth at his position, while his pass-rush grade of 83.1 was also sixth among all inside linebackers. His 37 total pressures were seven more than any other qualified linebacker.
The problem is, Jones had a coverage grade of 57.5, which weighed down his overall grade. His 75% completion rate allowed was the 14th-lowest at his position and though he didn’t have an interception, he also didn’t allow a touchdown catch in coverage.
There are some truly great linebackers in the NFL right now, including Fred Warner, Demario Davis and Bobby Wagner. But very soon, Jones could be in that group as a top-flight defender. In a contract year, now is the time for him to break out and become a star.