Dre'Mont Jones was the Seattle Seahawks' big addition last offseason, signing a three-year, $51 million deal with the club early in free agency.
Unfortunately for both Jones and the Seahawks, his first season in the Pacific Northwest wasn't anything to write home about. The 27-year-old finished the year with 49 total tackles, five tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. That's not awful production, but nowhere near to the standard of his contract.
Despite a ho-hum debut, Jones remains a big part of the Seahawks' plans this season. Assistant general manager Nolan Teasley even sung Jones' praises for his versatility, which he can't wait to see in action.
"One thing that I would emphasize is versatility. ... I know a player that we're really excited about, that they're excited about moving around is Dre'Mont Jones because of his ability off the edge, his ability to rush anywhere from the three-technique to the six, maybe even out to the nine," Teasley said, per ESPN's Brady Henderson.
This season, Jones could find himself playing on the edge far more than he did in 2023. He reportedly showed up earlier this offseason weighing 265-270 pounds, a noticeable drop from his listed weight of 281 pounds. He also took snaps both on the edge and the interior line, and with the Seahawks improving inside with the addition of Byron Murphy II and Johnathan Hankins, Jones seems like a natural fit outside in this new-look defense.
"I think his skillset lends to trying to play a little matchup ball with him or setting another guy up," coach Mike Macdonald said. "He can do a lot of things. We've talked about it, but we're really excited about Dre'Mont."
Seattle's defensive line was arguably the team's biggest weakness last season, but with Jones hopefully rebounding and the aforementioned additions, the unit could improve dramatically in 2024.
