The Rams agreed to trade linebacker Ernest Jones to the Titans before their 53-man roster cut on Tuesday, and their decision to move on without their leading tackler from last season led to the first question asked of head coach Sean McVay in a post-cut news conference.
Rumors of a potential Jones trade surfaced over the weekend, with a report that the Rams had granted him permission to talk to other teams. Jones clarified that he had not requested a trade, and McVay confirmed that it was the casebut made it clear that the Rams believed going in a different direction was the right decision for the club.
“It’s a football decision, we felt it was the best decision for the football team,” McVay said, via a team transcript. “He’s an incredible guy. He’s been great for us for a couple years, but we felt it was the best decision for our football team.”
The Rams retained two undrafted rookies — Omar Speights and Elias Neal — as well as Christian Rozeboom, Troy Reeder and Jacob Hummel at linebacker. McVay was asked if the team was interested in adding a veteran to the group, but he said they felt “really good” about the group’s ability to hold the defense to a high level.
