The Seattle Seahawks have done weird things with their linebackers in 2024. They let veterans Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks walk in free agency, which is fine. The team signed Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson to replace them, but each to only one-year contracts. In other words, as best as they possibly could, Seattle had no known plan for what happened after this season.
That last part still holds true as Dodson has played well enough, but the team has not worked out an extension. Baker is no longer with Seattle now. The team shipped him to the dismal Tennessee Titans for linebacker Ernest Jones IV this week. The deal also included a fourth-round pick in next year's draft from Seattle as well.
In other words, either Seattle wanted Jones a lot more than they wanted a middle-round draft pick plus Baker (which would seem weird), or the Titans really did not want Jones anymore. Both Jones and Baker's deals are done after this season, so the Seahawks weren't on the hook for long-term contracts anyway.
Seahawks trading for Ernest Jones IV should be a huge win for fellow linebacker Tyrel Dodson
Baker was decent in coverage while playing weak-side linebacker, while Jones was better in terms of pass rush. The key is Jones will not play Baker's same spot in Seattle as he will play the MIKE linebacker position. Tyrel Dodson, the green dot on Seattle's defense, will switch to the weak side.
This could be a huge win for both the Seahawks and Dodson. Dodson has not been a bad player this year, but he has played slightly out of position. He has been solid in coverage allowing 14 catches on 20 targets, but for only 141 yards and no touchdowns. What has suffered most this year compared to 2023, when Dodson played for the Buffalo Bills, is his run defense.
Dodson's move to weak-side linebacker will require him to cover running backs and tight ends a bit more, and he excels at that, but less requirements in run defense. Jones was elite in run defense with his previous team, the Los Angeles Rams, in 2022 and 2023, so he should be a huge boon to Seattle's porous run defense.
Both Dodson and Jones are trying to earn their next contracts. Dodson has moved back to a position where, in 2023, he was the highest-graded linebacker in the league, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Jones should be a better fit in Seattle's defense than Baker and help stop the run better.
Ultimately, though, Dodson should be the big winner. He was already solid and proved he can be versatile, but now he is moving to a slightly more familiar inside linebacker spot. That should be good for him and the team.