Free agent defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones is signing a three-year deal with the Seahawks, he told CBS Sports on Monday night.
Jones led the Broncos with 6.5 sacks this season despite missing the final four games of the season with a hip injury that did not require surgery. He was moved to injured reserve Dec. 11.
Armed with a hard to find quickness-size combination at 281 pounds, Jones, who turned 26 in January, has shown the ability to push the pocket on the inside in nickel rush situations and move to the end spot on early downs.
His potential versatility for either 3-4 or 4-3 defenses — the Broncos played a base 3-4 in each of his four seasons — make him an intriguing option. This past season, he played 451 snaps at defensive tackle and 224 at end, with four of his sacks coming while lined up on the edge.
Jones has disruptive upside as a pass-rusher with first-step quickness and short-area juice. His pass rush win rate when lined up inside (15.9%) ranked sixth among all defenders in 2022.
A third-round pick of the Broncos in 2019, Jones was a regular throughout his first four seasons in Denver, but he started more than seven games for the first time in 2022. He had a career-high 47 tackles last season while his sack total tied his high from 2020.
Broncos general manager George Paton had said this past season that he hoped to re-sign Jones, calling him “one of our core players.”
ESPN’s Jeff Legwold and Matt Bowen contributed to this report.