The Rams agreed to trade linebacker Ernest Jones to the Titans ahead of their cut to 53 players on Tuesday and their decision to move on without their leading tackler from last season led to the first question for head coach Sean McVay in a post-cut press conference.
Word 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 didn’t ask for a change and McVay confirmed that was the case, but made it clear that the Rams thought going in a different direction was the right move for the club.
“Football decision, what we felt was best for the football team,” McVay said, via a transcript from the team. “Amazing guy. He was great for us for a few years, but we felt that this was best for our football team.”
The Rams kept two undrafted rookies — Omar Speights and Elias Neal — along with Christian Rozeboom, Troy Reeder, and Jacob Hummel at linebacker. McVay was asked if the team is interested in adding a veteran to the group, but he said they feel “really good” about the group’s ability to keep the defense operating at a high level.
