Mike Macdonald probably knew something was amiss with his defense as early as Week 2 in 2024. His Seattle Seahawks did manage an overtime win against the New England Patriots, but it had to bother the first-year coach how helpless his team was in stopping New England’s rushing attack.
Antonio Gibson and Rhamondre Stevenson combined for 177 yards on 31 carries. That’s an average of 5.7 yards per rush, and to a defensive-minded coach like Macdonald, that was simply untenable. One of the main reasons he had been hired was to rebuild a once-proud defense that had been run over in Peter Carroll’s final season.
Things seemed to be headed in the right direction the following week when the Hawks dominated the Miami Dolphins, but it didn’t last. In Weeks 4-7. Macdonald’s defense gave up 30 points a game and 170 yards per game on the ground. They lost three of the four games and were simply getting manhandled. Something had to change.
When he realized he had the wrong personnel, Seahawks' Mike Macdonald acted decisively
John Schneider had signed free agent linebackers Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson in March 2024. They began the season as Macdonald's starting linebackers. Neither lasted through the middle of November. Dodson was waived on November 11, and his spot was taken by rookie Tyrice Knight.
By that point, Schneider had already traded Baker to Tennessee along with a fourth-round draft pick for Ernest Jones IV, a fourth-year linebacker whom the Rams had chosen out of South Carolina in the third round of the 2021 draft. The addition of Jones, aided by the later insertion of Knight into the lineup, transformed the Seahawks' defense.
With Jones, Seattle’s points-allowed dropped three full points, from 23.4 to 20.4. If that doesn’t seem like a major improvement, consider that the average points scored per game in 2024 was 22.9, and you can see how Jones helped transform the defense from a loser into a winner.
More importantly, the rushing yards allowed plummeted when Jones was in the middle of the Seahawks' defense. Before Jones’ arrival, Seattle was surrendering 146 yards per game on the ground. And the numbers were getting worse. After his arrival, that number dropped more than 40 yards per game, down to 103.
In his very first game, the linebacker announced his arrival with 15 tackles. Seattle was blown out by Buffalo – one of the best offenses in the league – but an attitude was established. Jones barely knew his teammates’ names, but he showed everyone he was going to be a force on defense.
Looking back on his arrival with a little more perspective, the leaders of Seattle’s defense – from Leonard Williams to Julian Love to Macdonald himself – all acknowledge Jones’ impact. He set a standard for effort that was impossible to ignore.
And it goes beyond effort. Jones is also a very smart football player. He studies and understands the game at an extraordinarily high level. He is a true coach on the field, standing in the middle of the defense, directing younger players and veterans alike.
In many ways, Ernest Jones IV is a throwback to what old-school middle linebackers used to be. He is not the biggest guy out there, nor the fastest, but his passion and football IQ are reminiscent of many of the classic linebackers from the NFL’s golden age – players like Sam Huff and Mike Curtis who married exceptional football IQ with controlled violence on the field.
More than anything, they were leaders who set a standard for the entire unit.
Macdonald knows just how vital this is to his entire team. Speaking to Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic, Seattle coach said, “He’s such an alpha. He has such poise about him.”
That leadership and poise was rewarded with a three-year, $33 million extension this offseason. Despite dealing with the tragic death of his father over the summer, Jones has maintained his production and his position as a team leader.
The results are on the field. Despite missing multiple players from their secondary early in the season, after four weeks, Seattle ranks third in the league in points allowed and third in yards-per-play. Once again, they are shutting down opposing offense’s rushing attack. Jones even has two of Seattle’s seven interceptions, which places them second in the league.
Ernest Jones IV has established a high bar for himself in the middle of the Seahawks’ defense, and if anything, he is reaching even higher in his second season in Macdonald’s system.