Tag: ernest jones

Look: Rams players arrive for 1st day of offseason workouts

Rams players have arrived for the 1st day of offseason workouts, including Kobie Turner and Tre’Davious White

It seems like not long ago that the Los Angeles Rams’ 2023 season came to an end with their loss to the Detroit Lions in the wild-card round, but the team is already back in the building preparing for the 2024 campaign.

Monday marked the first day of the offseason workout program, which will gradually ramp up leading into summer break before training camp. Initially, players will mostly go through meetings and lifting sessions, but they’ll be on the field for OTAs in May.

Players began arriving for these voluntary workouts, including Kobie Turner, Ernest Jones, Quentin Lake and Rob Havenstein. Players aren’t required to participate in these workouts but the Rams are not expected to have any holdouts, so attendance should be near-perfect, if not 100%.

The new guys have made their way into the Rams’ building, too. Darious Williams, Tre’Davious White, Kamren Curl, Jonah Jackson and Colby Parkinson all arrived on the first day as they get acclimated to their new team.

Here’s the full schedule for the Rams’ offseason program this year.

  • First Day: April 15
  • OTA Offseason Workouts: May 20-21, May 23, May 28-29, May 31, June 3-6
  • Mandatory Minicamp: June 10-12

Sean McVay mentions Quentin Lake as a young building block on defense

Quentin Lake is a rising player for the Rams after emerging as a dynamic defender in the slot last season

The Los Angeles Rams went from fielding star-studded defenses year after year to now deploying a unit filled with young, up-and-coming players. Gone are the days of Jalen Ramsey, Bobby Wagner, Leonard Floyd, Marcus Peters and now Aaron Donald.

Now, the Rams are leaning on players such as Kobie Turner, Ernest Jones and Byron Young. In addition to those three standout defenders, Quentin Lake is a player fans should know heading into the 2024 season. He’s expected to play a significant role next season after emerging as the team’s top slot defender last year, recently earning some recognition from Sean McVay.

During an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio, McVay mentioned Lake as a young player the Rams can build around.

“Chris Shula’s going to do a great job leading our defensive unit,” McVay said. “We’ve got some young guys that we can really build around. Love what Kobie Turner did last year. Aaron really poured into him. Love the emergence of Byron Young. Ernest Jones is a special leader in the middle of our defense. I think Quentin Lake is a really special, emerging player. And then being able to add quality players on the back end like a Kam Curl, bringing Darious Williams back home. So we’re excited. We’re going to try to add some good players through this draft and we’ll see where we’re at.”

Lake joined the Rams as a sixth-round pick in 2022, primarily being viewed as a safety. Injuries limited him to only nine games as a rookie but he took his game to another level last season when the Rams moved him into the slot.

He excelled in that role, both as a run defender and in coverage. He earned a 71.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, helped by an impressive 84.6 tackling grade thanks to his missed tackle rate of only 3.8%.

With Williams and Tre’Davious White expected to be the starting cornerbacks on the outside, Lake has a golden opportunity to maintain his role as the primary slot defender.

He may not be a household name but Lake is in position to have a very good third season in the NFL.

Aaron Donald confident he left Rams ‘in good hands’ with young core

“Ernest, it’s your defense now. I told him that.”

Aaron Donald’s absence will undoubtedly be felt on the Rams defense next season. He was one of the best players in football and a cornerstone of Los Angeles’ defensive front for a decade, and there’s no easy way to replace him.

The Rams still have playmakers all over their roster, which has Donald feeling good about the state he left the team in. In his first post-retirement interview, he mentioned Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner and Ernest Jones as players who will help take the Rams into the next era, telling them that it’s their time now.

“I talk to them a million times and tell them, ‘it’s y’all time now,'” Donald said. “It’s time for you guys like Kobie to be the leader now, to Puka, to continue to build on what you did. Ernest, it’s your defense now. I told him that. To leave the team how I’m leaving the team, in good hands with great young guys that’s going to do some great things for the organization, make it even that much better for me to know I ain’t leaving it in a bad condition, it’s in good terms and they have a good team, and I feel like they’re going to have a lot of success.”

Of course, Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Rob Havenstein and Tyler Higbee are all still in Los Angeles and will continue to be leaders in the locker room, but the Rams are also bringing along the next group of pillars – Turner, Jones and Nacua chief among them.

Fortunately for Turner, he got to spend one year learning from and working with Donald, which will certainly help him in his development as one of the best young defensive tackles in football. Jones also played alongside Donald for three seasons, and while they didn’t play the same position, they were two leaders on defense.

It’s hard not to feel good about the state of the Rams after their surprisingly impressive 10-7 season in 2023, and now they have a first-round pick (plus 10 other total selections) in the upcoming draft. They’re built to win now, even with as big a loss as Donald is.

Look: Ernest Jones appears motivated by Rams’ decision not to extend him yet

Les Snead said the Rams most likely won’t extend Ernest Jones this offseason and the LB appeared to respond on social media

Having finished his third NFL season in 2023, Ernest Jones is eligible for a contract extension. He doesn’t have to wait for his rookie deal to expire after the 2024 campaign, but it sounds like the Los Angeles Rams won’t be extending him before that time.

Les Snead told reporters this week that the team doesn’t plan to sign Jones to an extension this offseason, instead using its cap space and resources to bring in outside talent as it pushes for a Super Bowl next season. Snead said the Rams remain in contact with Jones’ agent but no extension is expected to come this year.

Jones appeared to respond to that news on social media with a couple of cryptic, yet pointed posts. On Twitter, he posted a single emoji, and on Instagram, he shared a photo of himself with the caption “bet.”

Jones will play out the final year of his contract before either signing an extension with the Rams in 2025 or testing the free-agent market. The Rams could also franchise tag him next year if it comes to it, but they’d rather do a multi-year extension instead of playing a game of tag.

This could work in Jones’ favor if he has a big 2024 season and increases his value, thus leading to a bigger contract next year.

Rams don’t plan to sign Ernest Jones to extension before 2024 season

Ernest Jones has one year left on his contract and it sounds like he won’t get an extension before this season

It’s rare for the Los Angeles Rams to sign a player to an extension before his rookie contract expires. They did so with both Jared Goff and Todd Gurley, but neither of those deals worked out the way Los Angeles had hoped.

While Ernest Jones is eligible for an extension right now, it doesn’t sound like the Rams will sign him to a new deal before his rookie contract ends in 2025. Les Snead told reporters at the annual league meetings on Monday that Jones will most likely play out the final year of his rookie contract before potentially signing an extension with the Rams.

The reasoning is because the Rams want to prioritize adding to their roster rather than re-signing their own players internally. Having already spent a bunch of money on free agents such as Jonah Jackson, Kevin Dotson and Colby Parkinson, the Rams want to continue adding as many pieces as they can before the season begins.

Jones carries a cap hit of only $3.3 million for the 2024 season, a small number for one of the defense’s most important players now that Aaron Donald is retired. If the Rams were to extend Jones, they wouldn’t have to increase his 2024 cap number, but it’s possible Jones’ camp would want a raise this year rather than waiting until after his rookie deal expires.

Waiting to do a deal with Jones could cost the Rams more in the long run if he continues playing at such a high level. They’re willing to take that chance, though, knowing it could allow them to bring in more talent before next season.

Report: Rams, Ernest Jones have had preliminary contract talks

Ernest Jones is a candidate to sign an extension this offseason and early contract talks have already begun

The Los Angeles Rams don’t often sign their own drafted players to contract extensions early, but there are certainly some exceptions. Jared Goff and Todd Gurley fit that mold, and Ernest Jones could, too.

Though Jones has one year left on his rookie contract, he’s a candidate to sign an extension this offseason. Les Snead said this offseason that Jones is “definitely someone we’d like to have around,” adding that he’s a player the Rams will discuss an extension for.

According to The Athletic, those preliminary contract talks have already begun, a good sign for Jones’ chances of landing an extension this offseason before his deal expires in 2025.

Inside linebacker Ernest Jones is a candidate for an early extension and preliminary talks have begun, multiple sources briefed on those conversations said, but there isn’t a rush here from either side. The Rams usually do those types of deals after OTAs, or into training camp.

Jones became a full-time starter and defensive signal caller for the first time in his career last season, playing just about every snap when healthy. He recorded a team-high 145 tackles to go along with six passes defensed and a career-best 4.5 sacks.

Whether it was dropping into coverage, stopping the run or rushing the passer, Jones did it all for the Rams last season and should only continue to get better as he gains experience. Signing him now would likely save the Rams some money, too, rather than waiting for him to have another strong season in 2024, driving up his price tag.

Jalen Ramsey, Ernest Jones react to Falcons hiring Raheem Morris

Jalen Ramsey and Ernest Jones both praised Raheem Morris after news broke that the Falcons are hiring him as their head coach

Raheem Morris has had so many people go to bat for him during his pursuit of a head coaching opportunity, including Sean McVay, Kevin Demoff, Aaron Donald and Les Snead. Jalen Ramsey has had consistently high praise for Morris, too, as has Ernest Jones – both of whom played under Morris in Los Angeles.

After news broke that the Falcons are hiring Morris as their next head coach, both Ramsey and Jones took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the move. Unsurprisingly, they both said the Falcons are getting a great coach, with Ramsey even going as far as to say Morris is one of the best, if not the best in the NFL.

Ramsey says it’s not just him who feels Morris is one of the best coaches in football.

It’s every player who’s played for Morris in their career, a sentiment Jones seems to share.

Kyren Williams and Cooper Kupp among 5 players who will sit vs. 49ers in Week 18

Kyren Williams and Cooper Kupp are among five players who won’t suit up for the Rams in Week 18

Sean McVay has decided to take the somewhat cautious route in terms of playing his starters in Week 18 against the San Francisco 49ers. With either the sixth or seventh seed locked up, the Los Angeles Rams will rest some key players on Sunday, but not all of them.

McVay announced on Wednesday that Matthew Stafford, Kyren Williams and Cooper Kupp will not play against the 49ers, and on defense, it’ll be Aaron Donald and Ernest Jones being held out for the final game of the season.

Carson Wentz will get the start in Stafford’s place, while Ronnie Rivers and Royce Freeman are likely to be the replacements for Williams. Rookie Zach Evans could presumably get some run in the finale, too.

Puka Nacua’s name was not mentioned by McVay, which means he’ll have a shot to break two single-season rookie records. He needs four catches and 29 yards to set the NFL records for the most receptions and receiving yards by a rookie.

Kobie Turner will also get a shot to break Donald’s rookie sacks record for the Rams, needing only a half-sack to edge out the future Hall of Famer in franchise history.

Ernest Jones breaks James Laurinaitis’ franchise record for tackles in a season

James Laurinaitis had 142 tackles in a season twice, but Ernest Jones just broke his record with one game still to go

No player in Rams history has recorded more tackles in a season than Ernest Jones has in 2023. The third-year linebacker set the franchise record for the most tackles in one season, logging his 145th tackle in the Rams’ win over the Giants on Sunday.

It pushed him ahead of James Laurinaitis, who previously held the record of 142 tackles, which he set in 2011 and tied in 2012. Jones still has one game remaining, so he’ll have a chance to go over 150 tackles on the year.

Jones is tied for the seventh-most total tackles in the NFL this season, while his 14 tackles for a loss are tied for the 16th-most in the league, as well.

It’s the second time he’s posted at least 100 tackles in his career, finishing the 2022 season with 114. Jones missed one game this season, too, so his 145 tackles have come in only 15 games – an average of nearly 10 per game.

Jones shared his thoughts on breaking the franchise record, saying he just hopes to keep inspiring kids back home in Georgia.

Rams inactives: Nacua and Noteboom active, Jackson out vs. Giants

Puka Nacua, Ernest Jones and Joe Noteboom are all active today, but Alaric Jackson is out for personal reasons

The Los Angeles Rams are taking on the New York Giants today in a pivotal Week 17 matchup that has massive playoff implications for the Rams. A win over the Giants and loss by the Seattle Seahawks today will punch the Rams’ ticket to the playoffs.

Unfortunately, the Rams will be without their starting left tackle Alaric Jackson, who has been ruled out due to personal reasons. Joe Noteboom is active despite being listed as questionable, so he’ll get the start at left tackle in Jackson’s place.

Ernest Jones and Puka Nacua are also active after being questionable to play. Their statuses were never really in doubt, with Sean McVay saying Friday that he expected both to be available. Nacua had some hip tightness and Jones came down with an illness Friday.

Below is the full list of inactives for the Rams.

For the Giants, starting cornerback Deonte Banks is officially out. Wan’Dale Robinson, who was the only other player listed as questionable, is active and will play.