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Ernest Jones, ‘shocked’ by Rams trade, may be Tennessee Titans final piece in defense’s rebuild

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Ernest Jones, ‘shocked’ by Rams trade, may be Tennessee Titans final piece in defense’s rebuild


Ernest Jones IV got off the Los Angeles Rams team plane on Saturday with no idea of what was about to happen.

“I’m just going to be completely honest: I was shocked. We got off the flight from Houston and then I got told that I would be traded,” Jones said Wednesday. “No bad blood. There wasn’t even any contract talks. We never even talked numbers. It was just ‘All right, y’all aren’t extending me, I’ll play this year out.’ I was under the impression I was going to finish this year in L.A. and then I’d move on. But you know, it happened earlier.”

What happened earlier was the Tennessee Titans traded a fifth-round pick in exchange for Jones and a sixth-round pick, adding depth to an inside linebacker room that sorely needed it. Just three days after being informed he’d be traded, Jones landed in Nashville — at 8:42 p.m., as he remembers it — and about 18 hours later he was practicing as a member of the Titans.

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ROSTER ANALYSIS: Winners, losers from Tennessee Titans depth chart, first 53-man roster reveal

In Jones, the Titans add a player who can stuff against the run and create havoc as a blitzer. His 145 tackles were the 11th-most in the NFL last season, and his 37 quarterback pressures were the most recorded by any inside linebacker. He joins a revamped room that also features former first-round pick Kenneth Murray Jr., who the Titans signed in March, and draft picks Cedric Gray and James Williams, as well as returning starter Jack Gibbens.

Murray’s starting job appears to be safe after the Jones acquisition. Gibbens’ job may not be.

“Ernest has to come in and earn the spot,” Titans general manager Ran Carthon said. “He hasn’t been here. It’s up for (Jones and Gibbens) to figure it out.”

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Jones was a full participant in Titans practice Wednesday. He says he worked in all the individual drills and got a few reps in team activities, but that was his first exposure to the Titans’ system. He didn’t have a chance to study the team playbook before practice, and says the Titans are trying to “feed (him) in slow” as opposed to pushing him with too much too quickly. This approach tracks with the way the Titans handled safety Quandre Diggs’ acclimation process after signing him in early August, waiting a couple weeks before installing him in the starting lineup.

Jones didn’t practice much for the Rams this offseason, but he says that had less to do with any pain or discomfort he’s feeling due to a lingering knee issue and more to do with the Rams managing his health. “When they told me not to practice,” Jones said, “I didn’t practice. That was that.”

MORE TRADE THOUGHTS: What Malik Willis trade means for Tennessee Titans and quarterback picture

Now the priority for the Titans is getting Jones, and the linebacker room at-large, ready for Week 1 against the Chicago Bears. Gray is heading to injured reserve with a designation to return because of a recurring nerve injury that’s limited him in camp. Garret Wallow and Chance Campbell, the Titans’ No. 2 options at the start of training camp, are both on season-ending injured reserve. Backups Luke Gifford and Otis Reese IV are both recovering from time spent in the concussion protocol.

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Jones is both the last piece in an offseason-long rebuild of the Titans defense that’s also included adding Diggs, Murray, cornerbacks L’Jarius Sneed and Chidobe Awuzie and defensive linemen Sebastian Joseph-Day and T’Vondre Sweat as potential starters and an added question mark for a defense trying to figure out what it’ll look like when the season begins on Sept. 8.

None of this was in the plans for Jones, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t in good spirits.

“If you look from top to bottom, there’s some really good ballplayers on that side of the football,” Jones said. “I’m really excited about what we can do when we go out there and put it all on tape. That gets me excited coming into this building.”

ESTES: Tennessee Titans winning Super Bowl? It’s as likely as AJ Swann winning Heisman

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.

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What channel is Tennessee baseball vs Arkansas on today? Time, TV schedule for Fayetteville Super Regional Game 2

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What channel is Tennessee baseball vs Arkansas on today? Time, TV schedule for Fayetteville Super Regional Game 2


Tennessee baseball can extend its season with a win in Game 2 of the Fayetteville Super Regional against Arkansas on June 8.

The Vols (46-18) managed just two hits in the Game 1 loss, 4-3 to the Razorbacks on June 7. But ace Liam Doyle is the probable starting pitcher for Game 2.

Arkansas (47-13) put together 10 hits in Game 1, including a two-run home run by Ryder Helfrick to take the lead in fifth inning.

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If the Razorbacks win, they will advance to the College World Series in Omaha next weekend. If the Vols win, Tennessee and Arkansas will play a deciding Game 3 on June 9 with time yet to be announced.

Here’s how you can watch Tennessee baseball vs. Arkansas Game 2 in the Fayetteville Super Regional:

Tennessee vs. Arkansas on Sunday will be televised by ESPN. Streaming options for the game include FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.

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  • Game time: 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 8
  • Location: Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas

All games at Baum-Walker Stadium; best-of-three format

  • Game 1: Saturday, June 7, 5 p.m. on ESPN
  • Game 2: Sunday, June 8, 3 p.m. on ESPN
  • Game 3 (if necessary): Monday, June 9, TBD



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Tennessee vs Arkansas Preview – Fayetteville Super Regional

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Tennessee vs Arkansas Preview – Fayetteville Super Regional


The Tennessee Volunteers are set to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks in game one of the Fayetteville Super Regional.

Tennessee’s road to repeating as national champs continues on Saturday as they will take on the Arkansas Razorbacks in game one of the Fayetteville Super Regional. The two teams faced off in the regular season and Arkansas took the series. Tennessee won the first game but the Razorbacks won the next two games to take the series.

The two teams will play in a best of three series. The winner will move on to play in Omaha in the College World Series.

The Vols will be looking to end their recent struggles against the Razorbacks this weekend. UT’s last series win against Arkansas came in 2005 while its last series win in Fayetteville was back in 2001.

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This weekend will mark the seventh super regional for Tennessee in program history. The Vols have won five of their previous six supers and have posted an 11-4 overall record in those six appearances. After winning the 2025 Knoxville Regional last week, UT is now 26-6 all-time in NCAA regional games played at Lindsey Nelson Stadium and 31-9 overall in NCAA postseason games at home.

First pitch is set for 5 PM ET and will be broadcasted on ESPN for those who want to watch.

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Passion for fishing brings Arkansas together ahead of Tennessee Matchup

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Passion for fishing brings Arkansas together ahead of Tennessee Matchup


FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The cliches are abundant when it comes to team camaraderie.

Every group is close together and cares for each other, but rarely does an actual activity bring a hodgepodge of transfers, freshmen, and returning players together.

Fishing, something near and dear to second baseman Cam Kozeal’s heart, has brought Arkansas together as they prepare for their Super Regional matchup against Tennessee.

Left fielder Charles Davalan by his own admission was never the biggest fisherman, but equally passionate about fishing tactics as he is baseball just 24 hours before the most important game of the season.

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“Lost my bait this morning,” Davalan said. “I guess I didn’t put the hook on right. But yeah, I lost my bait this morning. I wasn’t too happy about that.”

Kozeal, who split his childhood between Omaha, Nebraska, and rural Sargent, Nebraska, takes pride in his fishing skills. He gave the scouting report on his teammates’ abilities.

“Some guys have gotten a lot better than others,” Kozeal said. “Some are still learning. Brent’s gotten really good. V’s (Wehiwa Aloy) unbelievable, he’s a patient fisherman. Kuhio, if he feels anything on the end of the line, he just sets the hook about as hard as he swings the bat.”

Fishing abilities aside, Arkansas using the newfound hobby as a way to come together as they chase the elusive title. In the age of the transfer portal, coaches are always trying to get a group of new college kids to pull in the same direction as quickly as possible.

“We noticed it in the fall and you always discuss it with your team,” coach Dave Van Horn said about the togetherness. “With all that goes on in the offseason with the portal and new guys, a lot of guys drafted, guys coming in that weren’t here, somehow some way we got to get you guys to kind of gel and like each other and care about each other.”

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With school out, there’s a lot of downtime between the regional and the Super Regional, When the Razorbacks take the field for the first game, it will have been 6 full days since the Hogs took the field against Creighton.

Not constantly thinking about baseball and having something to get away to could prove beneficial as the run to the College World Series continues,

“Going out during the day and not just sitting on your couch all day helps,” Kozeal said. “Can also help the mind. You’re not always so tense and focused on baseball, maybe you get away from the game a little bit and that helps some guys.”

No matter what happens this weekend, they’ll be no reports of friction that come tumbling out years later. The team may be in different spots in their fishing journey, but their baseball journey culminates in a series against Tennessee with a spot to Omaha on the line.

“It’s also a fraternity,” Van Horn said. “They’re hanging out, they get to know each other, they’ve become good friends in there, I really believe that.”

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First pitch between Arkansas and Tennesee is set for 4 p.m. Saturday and will be broadcast on ESPN.



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