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Brady Henderson, ESPNOct 23, 2024, 12:52 PM ET
- Brady Henderson is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN. Henderson covers the Seattle Seahawks. He joined ESPN in 2017 covering the team for Seattle Sports 710-AM. You can follow him via Twitter @BradyHenderson.
SEATTLE — The Seahawks acquired Ernest Jones IV from the Titans in exchange for Jerome Baker and a draft pick in a swap of inside linebackers Wednesday.
The Titans will receive a 2025 fourth-round pick in the trade, sources told ESPN. The trade is pending physicals.
The move gives the Seahawks an upgrade at one of their weaker positions and marks the second trade of the day for the Titans, who are finalizing a deal that will send receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
This is the second time Jones, 24, has been traded this year. The Titans acquired him from the Rams in August, sending a 2026 fifth-round pick to Los Angeles for Jones and a 2026 sixth-round selection.
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Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Wednesday that he thought Jones would play inside linebacker while Tyrel Dodson, who had been playing there, will move to Baker’s vacated spot at weakside linebacker. Jones was expected to arrive in Seattle on Wednesday night, and Macdonald anticipated him playing Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.
Macdonald said Dodson likely will continue in his role as Seattle’s defensive signal-caller as he moves to the weakside spot.
A third-round pick in 2021, Jones spent his first three seasons with the Rams, helping them win Super Bowl LVI over the Cincinnati Bengals as a rookie. Jones, 24, has 44 tackles this season, second on the Titans, who at 1-5 are in last place in the AFC South.
Now, he returns to the NFC West as a member of the Seahawks, who lead the division by one game at 4-3.
Jones is in the final year of his rookie contract, which includes a base salary of $3.116 million. The Seahawks hope to keep him beyond 2024, a source told ESPN, through their organizational M.O. has been to not extend trade acquisitions right away.
Baker is also set to become a free agent at season’s end, having joined Seattle in March on a one-year, $7 million deal after spending his first six seasons with the Miami Dolphins. He has 37 tackles and a sack in five games this season, missing two because of a hamstring injury that also sidelined him for much of the summer.
Seattle is projected to have an extra fourth-round pick in next year’s draft.
The Seahawks have allowed the fifth-most rushing yards per game at just over 146. Jones should have familiarity with Macdonald’s defense, as Tennessee runs a version of it under coordinator Dennard Wilson.
Jones quickly broke into the Titans’ starting lineup next to veteran Kenneth Murray Jr. and took on a leadership role, playing 91.2% of Tennessee’s defensive snaps. Baker will replace Jones in the starting lineup.
Titans rookie fourth-round pick Cedric Gray could become an option as well when he’s activated from injured reserve. Gray has been recovering from a nerve-related shoulder injury. The Titans on Oct. 7 opened his 21-day window to return.
The Seahawks also added another inside linebacker with experience in Macdonald’s scheme Wednesday, claiming Josh Ross off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens. Ross went undrafted in 2022 out of Michigan, where Macdonald served as defensive coordinator in 2021, then reunited with Macdonald in Baltimore, where he served as DC the past two seasons.
Ross has appeared in 12 NFL games, with all his playing time coming on special teams.
The Seahawks placed right tackle Stone Forsythe on injured reserve in a corresponding roster move. Forsythe, who didn’t play in Seattle’s win over the Atlanta Falcons last week because of a hand injury, will have to miss at least four games.
Also Wednesday, cornerback Riq Woolen practiced for the first time since suffering an ankle sprain in Week 5. Woolen was listed as a limited participant, while wide receiver DK Metcalf did not practice.
Macdonald said Metcalf, who suffered a Grade 1 MCL sprain against Atlanta, probably won’t practice Thursday. The Seahawks haven’t ruled him out for Sunday’s game against Buffalo.
“Right now, we’ll see on Friday,” Macdonald said, “kind of reevaluate as we go.”
Running back Kenneth Walker III also did not practice Wednesday because of the illness he played through against Atlanta, nor did cornerback Tre Brown because of the ankle injury that sidelined him last week.
The Seahawks designated right tackles Abe Lucas and George Fant to return to practice. Lucas has been on the physically unable to perform list while trying to come back from offseason knee surgery. Fant, signed in March to fill in for Lucas, is on injured reserve after hurting his knee in Week 1.
Macdonald said Monday that Jerrell and Fant are potentially in play to start this week against the Bills, and that Lucas will need several weeks of practice before he’s ready to play.
ESPN’s Turron Davenport contributed to this report.
