OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Dre’Mont Jones isn’t a household name, but Ravens coaches and players certainly sound excited to have him join their defense.
Much how safety Alohi Gilman came from a Los Angeles Chargers system with Ravens roots, Jones, 28, doesn’t figure to have a steep learning curve after playing for former Baltimore defensive assistants Dennard Wilson in Tennessee and Mike Macdonald in Seattle last season.
One word has come up repeatedly in descriptions of Jones with the 6-foot-3, 281-pound outside linebacker using it himself when asked what the Ravens should expect from him.
“Somebody who’s physical as hell,” Jones said, “who’s going to attack every play like it’s his last, and who’s going to go out there and just try to kill or be killed.”
The other word that applies to the 2019 third-round pick is versatile as Denver drafted the Ohio State product as a defensive tackle. Jones has played more exclusively at the edge the last two seasons, but he lined up inside for nearly 300 snaps as recently as the 2023 campaign, per Pro Football Focus.
That’s notable with the Ravens being so desperate to generate more pressure from both the edge and the inside after losing two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike for the season in Week 2. Jones also comes to Baltimore on a heater after collecting a sack in four straight games for the Titans while the Ravens have just 11 total for the season.
“The good thing about versatility is we could hunt matchups — the best matchup that suits him,” defensive coordinator Zach Orr said. “That’s going to help us out as a defense where [Jones] could line up on the edge and interior. But I anticipate he’ll line up more in the interior for us than he did in Tennessee.”
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The Ravens are hoping Jones can be their latest edge defender to provide inside-outside versatility in the way Za’Darius Smith and Pernell McPhee would kick inside to rush the passer in the past. And while his career-high of 6 1/2 sacks — set in 2020 and 2022 with the Broncos — won’t wow observers, Baltimore hopes Jones can be part of the solution to help this defense continue to make strides in the way it did when Gilman arrived to help transform the secondary last month.
It’s why general manager Eric DeCosta was willing to surrender a fifth-round pick to the Titans that could very well become a fourth-round selection if Jones — who’s only under contract through this season — makes any semblance of an impact to help the Ravens make the playoffs for the seventh time in eight years.
“I just know the guy can definitely affect the game,” inside linebacker Roquan Smith said. “A very physical player. I love having physical players out there with me, so I’m very excited about that. I think he’s a great addition for our team, so I’m excited for him to show everyone exactly who he is.”
Jones has collected 35 sacks, 72 quarterback hits, and 45 tackles for a loss in 99 career NFL games.
Healthy as can be
While the Ravens were hammered by injuries in the midst of their worst start in a decade, the silver lining was few of those being long-term ailments beyond Madubuike’s neck injury.
It’s difficult to recall the last time — if ever — Baltimore went through a practice week with an empty injury report, but the entire 53-man roster practiced fully Wednesday and Thursday ahead of the Week 10 tilt with Minnesota.
8“It’ll be satisfying if we win the game and play great football,” head coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday. “The result is what you feel the most satisfaction with. But it is something that I think is definitely notable. It’s different, and it’s a good thing.”
This certainly falls into the “enjoy it while you can” department more than any realistic expectation of avoiding injuries completely, but there’s little disputing the need for the Ravens to stay relatively healthy the rest of the way if they’re going to become the fifth team in NFL history to overcome a 1-5 start to qualify for the postseason.
