It took the Rams more than half the season to find the best possible plan at inside linebacker, but they appear to have settled on one that works. Ernest Jones has emerged as the best linebacker on the team, putting together two really good performances against the Jaguars and Cardinals in the last two weeks.
After the Rams were using Troy Reeder as their every-down linebacker, they made a switch to Jones the last two weeks and it’s worked to perfection. He’s played nearly every snap in his last two games, while Reeder has been demoted to a lesser role, playing only seven snaps against the Cardinals.
Jones has stuffed the stat sheet in the Rams’ last two wins, recording 16 tackles, one interception, two passes defensed and a half-sack. Sean McVay loves what he’s seen from the rookie and seems committed to him as the team’s top linebacker moving forward.
“He’s a stud. He’s really just continuing to gain confidence,” McVay said. “You see the versatility. You see the ability to do a lot of different things. He’s playing in all of our personnel groupings now, so he’s really never leaving the field. He’s showing why he was a guy that we liked so much coming out of South Carolina. He’s got great leadership, great range, he can blitz, he can cover, he’s got great ball skills. He’s checking the boxes in a lot of ways, and he’s got just a great play demeanor that you love being around Ernest Jones.”
Jones’ role really grew when Kenny Young was traded, but he was still coming off the field on third downs and in some sub-packages. Now, it appears he’s going to remain in the middle of the defense no matter the situation, with Reeder only playing in obvious run situations on first and second down.
This is a smart move by the Rams because it’s become abundantly clear that Jones is the better option of the two, and he has the range and instincts to excel against the pass.
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