The Los Angeles Rams have struggled to find stability at inside linebacker over the last five years, going from Alec Ogletree to Cory Littleton to Troy Reeder and Kenny Young. For a position that hasn’t looked very rich with talent, the Rams now have a great tandem with Ernest Jones and Bobby Wagner.
A perceived weakness now looks like a strength following the addition of Wagner.
That doesn’t mean Jones will be relegated to the bench, however. He’ll still be a key player on defense for the Rams, and it’s not as if the brain trust signed Wagner without thinking what it would mean for Jones.
GM Les Snead told reporters this week that the Rams already talked about how they can use both players together, capitalizing on the talent they now have at inside linebacker.
“What we definitely talked through – because we do like Ernest Jones – myself sat with Sean and Raheem and the defensive staff and discussed how we could use the defenses and the tactics with both of those players on the field,” he said. “At the end of the day, you don’t necessarily want to put one of your better up-and-coming younger players on the bench for a veteran, but often, there’s two inside linebackers on the field. … In our scheme, there’s two on there. So how do we best utilize both of those players and does that make us stronger, and obviously, we came to the conclusion that it did.”
Wagner and Jones are similar players, something Sean McVay mentioned himself on Monday. It’s part of the reason the Rams liked Jones coming out of South Carolina. They’re both good blitzers, are adept in coverage and excel when playing downhill as run defenders.
That gives the Rams options and flexibility with their scheme.
Typically, Los Angeles only has one inside linebacker on the field with three or four down-linemen. That gives them a light box, yet they were still great against the run last season (5th-fewest yards per carry allowed).
Part of the reason for those lighter boxes was their lack of depth at linebacker, opting to bring on a third safety instead. With Wagner and Jones, the Rams can deploy a front that looks something like this.
DT: Aaron Donald
NT: Greg Gaines
DE: A’Shawn Robinson
OLB: Leonard Floyd
ILB: Bobby Wagner
ILB: Ernest Jones
While I listed Jones as an inside linebacker, he would be more of a hybrid defender who can line up off the ball or on the edge as a rusher. And even when he does line up next to Wagner in the box, he’s a threat to rush the quarterback.
Watch him beat the running back for a sack on this play, showing a high motor and great effort to not give up on the play despite being blocked into traffic initially.
Rookie Ernest Jones' first full career sack. 👏pic.twitter.com/ppVvVY7GEX
— LA Rams Nation (@RamsNationCP) December 5, 2021
He had a sack in the Super Bowl, too, coming on a critical third down in the third quarter. Jones was initially cut down by the running back in the hole, but he maintained his footing, got up quickly and took down Joe Burrow for a big loss.
Again, not a perfect rush with edge-like technique, but Jones knows how to win matchups with running backs.
Ernest Jones’ HUGE third down sack
Now a #SuperBowl champion!!@GamecockFB pic.twitter.com/VnVemJBaVn
— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) February 14, 2022
Wagner is even better as a blitzer than Jones is right now, too. He knows how to disguise himself before coming after the quarterback, just as he did on this play in the red zone last season.
With Jones being trusted in coverage on third down, the Rams can feel good about letting Wagner rush up the middle.
.@Bwagz came up huge on this third-down sack. 💥💥💥
📺: #TENvsSEA on CBS pic.twitter.com/oRO8bqTThG
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 19, 2021
Raheem Morris will come up with ways to best utilize his new duo at inside linebacker and the Rams no longer have to feel like they can’t keep two of them on the field together. Wagner is a huge upgrade over Reeder, and Jones is only going to get better as he continues his development.
That will make the middle of the Rams defense even better next season.
