NFL trade grades: Titans take defensive upgrade to the next level in deal for Rams captain

The Tennessee Titans were as active as any NFL team this offseason. Not only did they make a change at their head coaching position with Brian Callahan coming aboard, but they also made improvements on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

Calvin Ridley and Tony Pollard are the big names brought in on offense, but it's easy to make the argument that their moves to address the defense were more impactful. Notably, they completely revamped their cornerback situation, not only signing Chidobe Awuzie, but trading for one of the prizes of the offseason, L'Jarius Sneed.

The Titans were not done on the trade front, as Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports that they have made a deal with the Los Angeles Rams for Ernest Jones IV, buffering up their linebacker room.

NFL trade grades: Titans improve defense further by adding Ernest Jones IV in deal with Rams

This deal doesn't come as a major surprise. Jones didn't request a trade out of Los Angeles, but the Rams gave him permission to seek a trade, signaling that his place on their 53-man roster might not have been as set as many once thought. The Titans were sure to take advantage of the Rams giving up on Jones, and got him for a very reasonable price.

The Titans landed Jones, a 24-year-old former third-round pick who was a captain on the Rams defense, in exchange for nothing really at all.

All the Titans had to do to get their hands on Jones was move back from the fifth round to the sixth in 2026. By then, the Titans might even be better than the Rams, making the picks somewhat interchangeable. It's truly mind-boggling.

Reports are that the Rams were going to bench him for undrafted free agent Omar Speights who impressed in the preseason. Rather than bench a captain who played a big role for them in their Super Bowl win back in 2022, they chose to trade him and get something in return. They did get something, but was it really worthwhile?

The Titans took advantage of this weird situation and got themselves a starting-caliber player who had 4.5 sacks and 145 tackles last season in exchange for just moving back a bit with one of their Day 3 picks in 2026.

It's hard to point and laugh at anything Sean McVay and the Rams do given their history of success, but this is a strange deal. The Titans are clear winners here. They got a solid player and a great teammate who's still just 24 years old in exchange for virtually nothing.

Titans trade grade: A
Rams trade grade: C-