Linebacker Dre'Mont Jones. Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Patriots agree to terms with Dre’Mont Jones, should still add to pass rush

By Daniel Morrison | Last updated Mar 9, 2026 2:07 PM ET

The New England Patriots made a move to address a major need in free agency. Per Ian Rapoport, the Patriots have added edge rusher Dre'Mont Jones.

Jones signed a deal worth three years and $39.5 million. That includes $14.5 million in his first season with the Patriots. Dianna Russini of The Athletic added that the Baltimore Ravens made a push to retain him, but lost out to New England.

Jones was a third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Since then, he's played for the Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans and the Baltimore Ravens. He had been traded from Tennessee to Baltimore in the middle of last season.

Dre'Mont Jones fills a major need for New England

New England is coming off a run to the Super Bowl, but that was done with several glaring weaknesses that the front office needs to work on this offseason. One of those was the team's pass rush.

Last season, the Patriots had a 35% pass-rush win rate. That was just 19th in the NFL. In a more traditional counting stat, New England had 35 sacks on the season. That was 22nd in the NFL.

Jones is going to bring a good amount of production off the edge, particularly given the affordable contract New England landed him on. A season ago, Jones played in 18 games and had seven sacks and a total of 43 tackles.

Last season, New England's top pass rusher was Harold Landry with 8.5 sacks followed by K'Lavon Chaisson with 7.5. So, Jones will quickly fit into the top of that group of productive players in New England.

New England has more work to do at edge rusher

Even with Jones, the Patriots still have plenty of work to do at the edge rusher spot. There's no need to panic and overpay for a big name, though, as Jones can contribute and be an improvement as it stands. Still, there's a few options to take a look at.

That does include big names like Trey Hendrickson, Joey Bosa and Haasan Reddick, though Hendrickson is expected to be significantly more expensive to sign than the others. Of course, there are going to be more affordable veterans who haven't had the same kind of production available too.

This is also an excellent year for edge rushers in the NFL Draft. With needs like wide receiver and offensive line still very real for the Patriots, they may not want to spend a first-round pick on the edge, but in later rounds, it would be a great place to look for depth. That includes good players like Derrick Moore, who is projected to be a Day 2 pick, and Nyjalik Kelly, who could be available on Day 3.

For now, adding Jones is a great start in addressing a position of need for New England. It's just that, though, a start.

Daniel Morrison

Dan Morrison is a writer originally from Massachusetts, now residing in Florida. He spent four years at On3, working on the National News Desk there. Prior to that, he’s also contributed at Underdog Dynasty.

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