The Titans have agreed to sign veteran defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It will be a one-year, $10MM deal.
Nearly two years ago to the day, Jones signed a three-year, $51MM pact with the Seahawks as one of the more sought-after D-linemen on that year’s free agent market. After a strong platform year in 2022 with the Broncos, who selected him in the third-round of the 2019 draft, Jones came to Seattle with high expectations.
He did not quite live up to those expectations, however. The Ohio State product appeared in all 17 games (16 starts) in 2023, but he ranked as Pro Football Focus’ 55th-best interior defender out of 130 qualifiers. He contributed 4.5 sacks, his lowest total since his rookie campaign.
In an effort to help Jones get back to peak form, Seahawks head coach and celebrated defensive mind Mike Macdonald moved Jones around the formation during last year’s minicamp and had him line up with the outside linebackers and edge rushers as well as with the defensive tackles. Jones, who operated primarily from the interior during his first Seattle slate, had begun to see more time on the edge towards the tail end of that season, and Macdonald planned for that usage to continue in 2024.
It was not enough to prevent Jones, 28, from losing his starting job to rookie first-rounder Byron Murphy halfway through the season, which suggested he would not finish out his Seahawks contract. He was indeed released as part of a cap-related purge last week, though his age and his ability to generate a pass rush from the interior indicated he would not be unemployed for too long.
The Titans’ D-line was one of the team’s bright spots in a generally disappointing 2024 season, and Tennessee agreed to re-sign Sebastian Joseph-Day just two days ago. The trio of Joseph-Day, 2024 second-rounder T’Vondre Sweat, and three-time Pro Bowler Jeffery Simmons make for a strong unit, and Jones will add a high-upside, versatile piece that will give DC Dennard Wilson the ability to deploy the optimal defensive front depending on down-and-distance.