The Patriots badly wanted pass-rush assist, particularly on the skin. Dre’Mont Jones offers that, however he additionally comes with place flexibility that can enable defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr to get artistic, doubtlessly utilizing Jones on the within in apparent passing conditions.
Jones has good size (33 3/4-inch arms), which the Patriots have lacked from their edge rushers of late.
Jones’ precise function might be decided partly by the remainder of the strikes the Patriots make this offseason, however there’s actually an opportunity he’s considered one of their two beginning defensive ends.
For now, Jones joins an edge rusher group that’s restricted to Harold Landry, Anfernee Jennings, Elijah Ponder and Bradyn Swinson.
There are two issues that the Patriots certainly preferred when finding out Jones, who grew up in Cleveland (close to the place Vrabel did) and went to Ohio State (like Vrabel). The first is that Jones’ play final season improved considerably after the commerce to the Ravens. He had simply 19 quarterback pressures in 9 video games with the Titans, then 32 pressures in 9 video games with the Ravens.
The different factor Vrabel will admire is that Jones doesn’t simply get strain, however he impacts the quarterback. Jones had 24 QB hits final season. By comparability, Landry led the crew in QB hits a yr in the past with 19.
