The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used a No. 5 overall pick on LSU star linebacker Devin White with the thought he would become an immediate impact player and give the team a successor to Lavonte David once he ages out of stardom. As is now obvious, neither of those things have happened so far.
David remains one of the best players in the league and more underrated names of the last decade, while White saw his play fall off a cliff after a very promising start. He has since inked a one-year "prove it" deal with the Philadelphia Eagles to get back on track.
This move leaves David and KJ Britt, who has four starts in his professional career, as the two starting linebackers. If Tampa is all in on maximizing this window with Baker Mayfield as the starting quarterback, they may need to take a look at Los Angeles Rams linebacker Ernest Jones.
Jones has been given permission to seek a trade in the last year of his contract. While Tampa will likely need to trade for him with the expectation that he will be seeking a new contract, his play with the Rams has been so impressive that Tampa Bay could snatch him up and instantly plug one of their biggest holes.
The #Rams have granted permission for LB Ernest Jones to seek a trade, per @JFowlerESPN. Jones, who is a team captain, in entering the final year of his contract had a career-high 145 tackles last season. pic.twitter.com/fQm5KmLD6n
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 25, 2024
Buccaneers could trade for Ernest Jones to replace Devin White
Part of the reason a Rams defense that was expected to be unwatchable dreck after the Super Bowl run was actually fairly impressive (both with and without Aaron Donald) was Jones. Picked at the end of the third round in the 2021 Draft, Jones has become a team captain who piled up 145 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 15 games last year.
Jones' 82.1 PFF grade, ability to line up in multiple different positions, and his excellent speed in the open field could make him everything that White was supposed to be. David is still great, but Tampa Bay will never know exactly when the cliff will come.
Baltimore's Roquan Smith, San Francisco's Fred Warner, and Chicago's Tremaine Edmunds are the only linebackers making more than $18 million per year, while Buffalo's Matt Milano is behind them in fourth place with over $14 million. It seems like a new deal for Jones could end up being somewhere around Milano's range.
Jones won't change the entire defense, but in terms of providing an immediate and long-term linebacker upgrade, few are better across the NFL landscape right now.