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Seattle Seahawks Ernest Jones hopes his performance will bounce back against former team

Posted on by L. Dreeye
Seattle Seahawks Ernest Jones hopes his performance will bounce back against former team

Now preparing for his second game with the team, Ernest Jones’s ride to the Seattle Seahawks has been wild, to say the least.

After a standout college career at South Carolina, Jones spent his first three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and during that time developed into a very effective starter on a young defense. Learning from former Seahawk star Bobby Wagner, he had 145 tackles and 4.5 sacks last season, helping Los Angeles return to the postseason.

Then, shockingly, rather than re-sign him to a new contract, the Rams traded Jones to the Tennessee Titans just before the start of the season for a sixth-round draft pick. His stay in Music City was short-lived, as after just six games the Titans sent him back to the NFC West as part of a major trade with the Seahawks to improve the middle of coach Mike McDonald’s defense.

Even two months and another trade later, Jones still hasn’t forgotten his abrupt departure from Los Angeles, admitting to reporters that he was a little blindsided by the first trade after enjoying a career year for the franchise in 2023. But he realized that was the nature of the business and that no job in the NFL was safe, even with quality production.

“I was definitely surprised,” Jones said, according to the Seahawks website. “Yes, surprised, the word I used was definitely shocking about the decisions they made, but they taught me a lot about the process. Taught me a lot about business, you’ll never be safe no matter what you do. . That’s what I learned in this position.”

As fate would have it, Jones’ second game with the Seahawks will be Sunday against the Rams. He’ll be thinking about revenge, and a win over his former employer would be a nice icing on the cake, but most of all, it’s a chance to bounce back after his first game in Seattle ended in a crushing loss to Buffalo last week.

“I’m excited,” Jones said. “Excited about this opportunity. For me, I wouldn’t say it’s just something I just thought about. I mean, that’s another possibility. I won’t go and put myself in a position where I go beyond what we’re trying to do and that ends up winning. Given that this is a former team, of course I would like to win, but I want to go out there and prove myself and play well.”

It’s certainly been a challenge for Jones these past few months, especially as a new father to a 3-month-old son. However, he feels the adversity has only made him tougher as a person and, as he settles into his new team, as a player.

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