Dre'Mont Jones trade grades: Ravens get much-needed pass-rush help from Titans at minimal cost

Riding a two-game winning streak, the Baltimore Ravens are once again buyers at the trade deadline as John Harbaugh's team looks to keep its momentum going. On Monday night, the Ravens added to their defense by acquiring veteran pass rusher Dre'Mont Jones from the Titans, who at 1-8 are one of the expected deadline sellers. 

The 28-year-old Jones is having arguably the best season of his career. Through nine games, the seven-year veteran has 4.5 sacks, 26 tackles, and a fumble recovery. While never a star, Jones has nonetheless been a consistent and reliable pass rusher throughout his career. Jones, who has 35 career sacks, has had at least 4.0 sacks each year since 2020, his second year in the NFL. 

Baltimore is Jones' third team in as many seasons. After spending his first four years with the Broncos, Jones spent two seasons with the Seahawks before signing a one-year deal with the Titans in the offseason. 

While it takes two to tango, there is a clear winner from this trade. Let's take a look at which team was the winner in our instant trade grades. 

The trade 

• Ravens get: OLB Dre'Mont Jones 
• Titans get: 2026 conditional fifth-round pick (could become a fourth-rounder)

Ravens: A

With 11 sacks in eight games, Baltimore desperately needed to bolster its pass rush. The Ravens not only got that with Jones, they also got a player who appears to be in the middle of a career year. The cherry on top of this deal is that the Ravens didn't have to give up one of their top picks in next year's draft to acquire him.

The Eagles, for example, gave up a third-round to acquire former Dolphins pass rusher Jaelan Phillips, who hasn't played as well as Jones has during the season's first nine games. Baltimore got arguably a better player and gave up less trade capital to acquire him. 

Jones' addition addresses one of the Ravens' biggest needs while reinforcing the narrative that Baltimore is in no way cashing out on this season. Despite their 3-5 record, the Ravens are currently in second place in the AFC North with five games remaining against divisional foes.

Given their need for a pass rusher, it's hard to find many flaws in this trade from Baltimore's perspective. That being said, the Ravens did have to give up a conditional fifth-round pick that could turn into a fourth-round pick. Draft picks are a valuable commodity, after all, so Jones and the Ravens have to perform if this trade is going to be remembered as a success.

Jones is also only one player, so unless some of their other pass rushers (i.e., rookie Mike Green) step up, Baltimore's pass rush will only improve so much.

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Zachary Pereles

Titans: B 

This is a very "meh" trade for a Titans team that is in full rebuild mode. While this isn't a horrible trade for Tennessee, you wonder if it could have gotten more for an established pass rusher ahead of the trade deadline.

That being said, it's clear the Titans felt the Ravens' offer was the best they could do. Instead of waiting until tomorrow and possibly driving up the price, Tennessee decided to make a move now on the eve of the trade deadline.

This trade will look a lot better from the Titans' standpoint if this turns into netting a fourth-round pick. But either way, the Titans achieved their mission of trading a veteran player in exchange for draft picks they can use for the future.

On a larger scale, the trade of Jones is another example of a plan that went horribly wrong for a Titans team that was hoping to turn the corner this year. Instead of taking advantage of Jones' big season and possibly extending him this offseason, the Titans' disaster that has been the 2025 campaign has forced them to change course, which has led to the departure of several notable players — a list that now includes Jones.