The New England Patriots completely rebuilt their defensive edge during the 2025 offseason, but just one year later had to make more investments to ensure its quality heading into the future. The first big move was bringing in Dre’Mont Jones in free agency; the veteran arrived on a three-year, $36.5 million contract.
What will Jones bring to the table, though? Let’s find out.
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Hard facts
Name: Dre’Mont Jones
Position: Defensive edge/Outside linebacker/Defensive end
Jersey number: 5
Opening day age: 29 (1/5/1997)
Measurements: 6’2 3/4”, 268 lbs, 33 3/4” arm length, 9 5/8” hand size, 5.12s 40-yard dash, 7.71s 3-cone drill, 4.53s short shuttle, 31 1/2” vertical jump, 9’2” broad jump, 18 bench press reps, 6.13 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: Denver Broncos (2019-22), Seattle Seahawks (2023-24), Tennessee Titans (2025), Baltimore Ravens (2025), New England Patriots (2026-) | College: Ohio State (2015-18)
A standout defensive lineman at St. Ignatius in Cleveland, four-star prospect Jones was one of the top high school recruits in Ohio. He received interest form multiple Power 5 programs including Michigan, Notre Dame and Georgia, but ultimately ended up staying in his home state; he committed to Ohio State in June 2014 and the following year arrived in Columbus.
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After redshirting his freshman year, Jones went on to appear in 39 games as a Buckeye with 37 starts. A two-time All-Big Ten selection (first team 2018, third team 2017), he registered 115 total tackles as well as 9.5 sacks, a forced fumble, an two recoveries. He also returned his lone career interception 28 yards for a touchdown. With his production steadily increasing, Jones opted to forgo his final year of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft in 2019.
When Jones entered the league as the 71st overall selection in the third round of the 2019 draft, he did so as an interior lineman. As such, he played 56 games for the Broncos and notched 22 sacks. His productivity set him up for a major payday as a free agent in 2023, and he ended up earning a three-year, $51.5 million deal from the Seahawks.
In Seattle, Jones continued a development that had already started toward the tail-end of his Broncos career: he no longer was a true interior player, and instead spent a majority of his snaps on the edge. From that position, he added 34 more games and 8.5 sacks to his NFL résumé, but that did not save him from getting the axe after his second season with the club. Jones ended up in Tennessee shortly thereafter but was traded to Baltimore midway through the 2025 season.
Now a Patriot, he is bringing the experience of 108 games, 37.5 sacks as well as three forced fumbles and recoveries each to Foxborough. Notably, however, none of his production came in the playoffs: despite having seven NFL seasons under his belt, Jones has yet to make the postseason.
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Scouting report
Strengths: Jones entered the NFL as an interior defensive lineman, primarily playing as a 3-technique before moving out to the edge. But even though he shed some weight as part of that transition — he is 13 pounds lighter now than he was early in his career — he still retained some of the characteristics that made him a productive player and third-round draft pick. One of those is, unsurprisingly, his gap versatility: Jones is still capable of lining up in various spots and a disruptive player both on the inside and on the edge.
Inside, he has good quickness to challenge guards and centers; he forces them to commit early and uses his counters wisely to take advantage; he also is effective on stunts and other line games. On the outside, Jones is pure power. A speed-to-power rusher whose bull rush in particular drives tackles off their spot, he has good pursuit speed and plays with a red-hot motor, all while employing advanced hand technique and those very same counters to generate pressure.
Weaknesses: Jones seemingly wills his way to success instead of relying on his athletic prowess or size; while both are certainly starter caliber, they don’t stand out either. This shows up on tape, with his explosiveness and bend being merely average, and his reliance on a power-based approach — especially when aligned outside the tackle as a true edge — sometimes leaving him in a vulnerable position. In general, Jones produces plenty of hits and hurries but is an inconsistent finisher. He also is a bit of a wildcard in the run game, and was used mostly in passing situations between his stints in Tennessee and Baltimore.
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2025 review
Stats (Titans): 9 games (9 starts) | 408 defensive snaps (70.7%), 10 special teams snaps (4.1%) | 26 tackles, 2 missed tackles (7.1%), 5 TFLs, 1 FR | 19 QB pressures (4.5 sacks, 4 hits, 10 hurries) | 1 target, 1 catch surrendered (100%), 5 yards | 2 penalties (incl. 0 declined/offsetting)
Stats (Ravens): 9 games (8 starts) | 383 defensive snaps (65.4%), 36 special teams snaps (15.4%) | 17 tackles, 1 missed tackle (5.6%), 2 TFLs, 1 FR | 32 QB pressures (2.5 sacks, 11 hits, 18 hurries) | 1 target, 1 catch surrendered (100%), 9 yards, 1 PBU | 3 penalties (incl. 1 declined/offsetting)
Season recap: Jones started 2025 by losing his job. Even though he had held a regular role along the Seahawks’ defensive line the previous two seasons, a decrease in playing time set the stage for him getting cut before entering the final year of his contract with the team. However, he did not remain on the market for too long: 10 days after his early-March release, Jones put his signature under a one-year, $8.5 million contract with the Titans.
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He acclimated well to his new team and quickly earned a starting role as an outside linebacker. That said, his production was lacking early on: despite playing almost two thirds of Tennessee’s defensive snaps over the first five weeks of the season, he failed to register any sacks of even quarterback hits.
From Week 6 on, however, he picked up the pace. Over his next four games, Jones registered 4.5 sacks, four hits and five hurries. He was clearly trending up, and that might have ended up sealing his fate before the trade deadline.
With the Titans at 1-8 and obvious sellers after firing head coach Brian Callahan, Jones was shipped to Baltimore in exchange for a conditional fifth-round draft pick (that would have upgraded to a fourth-rounder had the Ravens made the playoffs).
Jones getting traded on November 3 put him in a fairly unique position. Whereas the Titans did not yet have their bye week, the Ravens already enjoyed theirs. As a consequence, he ended up playing 18 regular season games — making him one of only four players since the NFL’s expansion to a 17-game format in 2021 to do so.
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Despite the workload, Jones picked up right where he left off and was able to carry his momentum over to his new team. He ended up playing nine games as a Raven, starting eight, and although not quite duplicating his Tennessee sack numbers was a disruptive player: he registered 32 pressures after his transfer, ranking 14th among all NFL edges over that nine-week span (K’Lavon Chaisson, the best Patriot, ranked 42nd with 22 pressures).
2026 preview
Position: Three-down edge | Ability: Quality starter | Contract: Signed through 2028 (2029 UFA)
What will be his role? Jones served mostly as a situational pass rusher in 2025, particularly after moving to Baltimore, but the Patriots likely would not have signed him to a three-year, $36.5 million deal to be a role player. What their plan for him looks like will be seen, but it would not be a surprise if he ends up in a three-down starting outside linebacker initially opposite fellow veteran Harold Landry. However, the presence of second-round rookie Gabe Jacas — one of the top run-stopping edges in the draft this year — might allow him to go back to specializing a bit more further down the line.
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What is his growth potential? Jones has evolved as a player throughout his career, and he might have to do so again in 2026 to show he can be an effective run stopper on top of his pass rush prowess. Other than that, his potential for development seems to be relatively limited given that he is entering his eighth year in the league. At that point, players are usually well-defined already.
Does he have positional versatility? His ability to play multiple techniques up front appealed to the Patriots in free agency (and, if rumor is to be believed, ahead of last year’s trade deadline as well). It would therefore not be a surprise to see the team lean into it: Jones can play outside the tackle as a traditional edge in four-man fronts, but also kick inside in select situations. The prospect of an interior trio consisting of Jones, Christian Barmore and Milton Williams could give offensive coordinators some sleepless nights in 2026.
What is his salary cap situation? As part of his three-year deal, Jones carries a $7.05 million salary cap into the 2026 season. That number includes of a fully-guaranteed base salary ($2.3M), signing bonus proration ($3.7M), and workout bonus proration ($60k), as well as a roster bonus entirely classified as likely to be earned ($1.02M). Jones also can boost his cash intake with up to $1 million in incentives, split into four $250,000 escalators (60%, 65%, 70%, 75% defensive snaps).
How safe is his roster spot? The Patriots’ first free agency pickup back in March, Jones is a lock to be on the roster this year. The much more important question is what his role and ultimately his production are going to look like.
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Summary: The Patriots effectively picked Jones over in-house edge K’Lavon Chaisson in this year’s free agency, presumably because they view him as a more complete player and higher-upside option against the run. Time will tell whether or not he can be, but his profile and production last year are certainly encouraging.
What do you think about Dre’Mont Jones heading into the 2026 season? Will he help stabilize the Patriots’ edge? Will his disruption rival that of the player he effectively replaced, K’Lavon Chaisson? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
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