Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV added another award to his impressive resume, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for Week 13.
Jones, who returned from a knee injury after one week on the sideline, totaled a team-high 12 tackles, two pass deflections and two interceptions in the 26-0 win over the Vikings, one of which he returned for a touchdown. It was the first touchdown of his NFL career.
The last Seahawks inside linebacker to win the award was Bobby Wagner in 2020. Jones was already drawing comparisons to the Seattle legend for his leadership and impact on a great defense, but now he’s earning similar accolades to the former Seahawks’ defensive leader.
“He had such a great message to the team in the locker room,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said after the win over the Vikings, per the team’s official website. “The guy has been through a lot, it’s just the position that we’re put in as coaches. That’s really the reason you have a team, is that you can be there for your brother when they need you. I know we’re in a business and there are transactions and stuff, but at the end of the day these are the relationships you’re going to have for a long time, hopefully. It’s really great to see that the rest of the guys are there to support him.”
Dec 10, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) jogs on the field before the start of the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Seattle has finally found a linebacker duo that is playing at an extremely high level after years of transition at the position. That was something Macdonald was hailed as being an expert in when he was hired, and Jones and Drake Thomas have been phenomenal.
Jones has 83 tackles, three tackles for loss, half a sack, seven pass deflections and five interceptions on the season, and that’s in just 10 games (two missed due to a knee injury). He’s leading the best defense the Seahawks have had in a decade.
Wagner led Seattle for 11 years, racking up nine Pro Bowl nods and nine All-Pro selections (six First Team). He is Seattle’s all-time leading tackler, helped lead them to their only Super Bowl victory and is a top-5 player in the franchise’s history.
Jones is nowhere near matching that currently, but this season could be the start of a long and prosperous partnership between him and the Seahawks.
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