Dre’Mont Jones reportedly wants to stay with Broncos

The four-year Broncos defensive lineman said (via Twitter) he wants to stay with the team for “as long as possible.” This follows a similar stance issued (via Denver7’s Troy Renck) after the Broncos’ season ended. Multiple reports have pegged Jones as the Broncos’ top free-agent priority, but it will not be automatic that the free-agent-to-be comes back.

A former third-round pick, Jones established himself as a three-year starter for the team. He offered consistency, tallying 6.5-, 5.5- and 6.5-sack seasons from 2020-22. The interior rusher also produced between seven and nine tackles for loss and either 10 or 11 quarterback hits in each of those seasons. The Ohio State product was on track to better those numbers this season, but a hip injury sidelined him for Denver’s final four games. This past season marked Jones’ first as a full-time starter.

The franchise tag represents a way for the Broncos to ensure Jones stays, but that appears a bit unrealistic due to the interior d-lineman’s production and the draft pick-poor team’s bevy of needs ahead of free agency. (Following the Sean Payton trade, the Broncos’ top picks arrive at the Nos. 67 and 68 slots.) The Broncos have avenues to move their cap-space number well past $9.2M — its present place, which ranks 14th in the NFL — but even if Jones is classified as a defensive tackle, a franchise tag number of $18.94M would be steep. Both the D-end and D-tackle transition tags also come in above $16M.

Denver is also moving into the Payton era. While the high-priced head coach has spoken highly of third-year GM George Paton, Payton will likely have the final say on personnel matters. The Broncos have both Jones and guard Dalton Risner as higher-end UFAs-to-be. The team will have until March 13, when the legal tampering period begins, to finalize deals with Jones or Risner. Both 2019 draftees would hit the market at that point.