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Nov 16, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Dre'Mont Jones (41) greets fans prior to a game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Ravens Coach Says New DE Better Than Advertised

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Nov 20, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Baltimore Ravens, against all odds, has somehow kept the Baltimore Ravens afloat amidst their most successful sequence of this season.

For as personally decorated as Lamar Jackson and many of his scoring weapons are, they haven't meshed to the best of their abilities during the mushier portion of the Ravens' schedule. Even if the team they've beaten during their ongoing four-game win streak have offered few quarterbacks capable of matching up with the two-time MVP in positional matchups, the defense that struggled throughout the ugly early goings of the fall has locked up during all of the team's clutch final stands.

For awhile, Alohi Gilman was the notably new face on defense, having been acquired in a midseason trade from the Los Angeles Chargers. The safety's ability to man the middle of the field allowed Kyle Hamilton to shift closer to the line of scrimmage, where he's been able to maximize his effectiveness in closer proximity to the opposing quarterback.

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

That adjustment out of Hamilton was partially made out of the Ravens' dire need for help in the pass-rush, but a few weeks after bringing Gilman into the fold, Baltimore's front office made another move. They traded for another under-30 veteran in Dre'Mont Jones hours before the NFL trade deadline, another warm body to support the hurting unit of defensive ends.

Assessing Jones' Quick Impact

The journeyman edge-rusher was in the midst of a career-start to a season with the Tennessee Titans before he was plucked away by the Ravens, having recorded 4.5 sacks and 26 combined tackles in nine starts. Jones is putting up fewer big box score stats since making the move, but he's been much more consistent at physically reaching his end goals, posting multiple quarterback hits in each of his first two games with his new team.

Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Really pleased," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said in evaluating Jones' instant impact. "Not surprised, because we heard so many good things about him, but even better than advertised. The kind of guy he is, how smart he is, physical talent, all those different kinds of things."

They certainly needed someone to step up to challenge other offensive linemen, with the Ravens swimming towards the league's basement in applying pressure before their win streak. Elder statesman Kyle Van Noy and unproven prospect Mike Green couldn't do the job by themselves, and they haven't lost since inserting Jones into the linebacker rotation.

"I think they fit in great," Van Noy said. "Dre, he's been amazing, just that kind of pissed-off attitude that you like in a d-lineman. I don't like nice d-linemen, I like d-linemen who have some crap to them. I think he does a good job of having a high standard for himself, and wants to play really good football, and we love that. Very versatile, too."

Now that the Ravens are somewhat back on the horse, finally breaking even at 5-5 after their disastrous start, any new impactful additions get to reap the rewards of the turnaround. Jones delivered in helping to hold off the Browns in his Cleveland hometown, and, alongside Gilman, seems to have provided enough of a necessary jolt to pick up the pieces of their once-lost-looking campaign.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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