South Carolina football alum proves former team's huge mistake with preseason trade

During the NFL preseason, linebacker Ernest Jones was part of a blockbuster trade that sent him from the Los Angeles Rams to the Tennessee Titans as a cost-cutting measure for the Rams, an organization that has made it clear that they have no desire to pay traditional linebackers much money. The former South Carolina football star had to move across the country and adjust to a new team just two weeks before the NFL regular season began.

He's already made the Rams pay for their decision.

On Sunday, in his first start with the Titans, Jones was everywhere. He played every defensive snap for Tennessee, making 9 tackles, stopping 2 ball carriers behind the line of scrimmage, and stuffing 5 run plays.

The Titans all of a sudden have the league's best defense in terms of yards allowed, and that is a direct testament to the impact Ernest Jones has had on the unit. If Tennessee's offense wasn't anemic, they would be real contenders during the 2024 season.

Meanwhile, the Rams are 0-2, and their defense is the worst in football based on yards allowed and 2nd-worst in the sport in points allowed.

Needless to say, Rams fans are sick over losing one of the top young linebackers in football and the negative effect the trade has had on their team so far through two weeks of the NFL season. Countless variations of "I sure wish the Rams had a good young linebacker" were all over Twitter/X on Sunday as a short flight to Phoenix, Arizona ended disastrously with a 41-10 beatdown at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals.

Things won't get any easier for the Ernest Jones-less LA Rams, though, as they have to face off with the San Francisco 49ers next weekend. Without the franchise's record-holder for single-season tackles (Jones had 145 stops during the 2023 season), the woes on the defensive side of the football could continue.