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The Baltimore Ravens didn’t make the flashy move at the NFL trade deadline — they made the smart one. The Ravens got edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones in a trade with the Tennessee Titans, getting a player who can make an impact as the Ravens try to make an improbable turnaround and who is playing some of the best football of his career. What they didn’t get was a big name. Not they didn’t look into it, though, with The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec reporting Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta looked into making a huge move to get Miami Dolphins Pro Bowl edge rusher Bradley Chubb in a trade, among others. “There were bigger-name pass rushers available (than Jones),” Zrebiec wrote. “The Miami Dolphins put 2021 first-rounder Jaelan Phillips on the market for a third-round pick, and the Eagles were willing to meet that asking price. Fellow Dolphins pass rusher Bradley Chubb was available, too, and the Ravens explored that option. The Jets’ Jermaine Johnson could have been had for a second-round pick.” Ravens Made Smart Move Getting Jones Even at a relatively manageable $43 million owed to Chubb over the final 2 seasons of the 5-year, $110 million contract extension he signed with the Dolphins in 2022, getting Jones was still a better move. While Chubb has been great in the past, including 11.0 sacks with the Dolphins in 2023, he missed the entire 2024 season with a torn ACL and has dealt with injuries in the past — he only played 4 games in 2019 and only played 7 games in 2021. Jones, 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, has 4.5 sacks through the first 9 games, with all of those sacks in the last 4 games. He also comes at a greatly reduced price point. Jones only cost the Ravens a conditional 2026 fifth round pick and he’s playing on a 1-year, $8.5 million contract he signed with the Titans in March. The Ravens will only be on the hook for $1.265 million of Jones’ 2025 salary. “The pick going to Tennessee is the Jets’ 2026 5th-round pick that Baltimore had; but there are conditions in which that pick could become the Ravens’ 2026 4th-round pick,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account. Jones Comes to Ravens at Critical Moment After a 1-5 start, consecutive wins over the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins seem to have reinvigorated the Ravens, and the AFC North is still very much up for grabs. The first place Pittsburgh Steelers are only 5-3, meaning Ravens-Steelers games in Week 14 and Week 18 could very well determine the division’s lone AFC playoff spot. The Ravens travel to face the Minnesota Vikings in Week 10. Jones was a third round pick (No. 71 overall) by the Denver Broncos in the 2019 NFL draft. In his first 4 seasons with the Broncos, Jones had 22.0 sacks but didn’t even become a full time starter until his fourth season, when he had 6.5 sacks in 13 starts. He cashed in big in free agency, signing a 3-year, $51.53 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks before the 2023 season.
