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Dre’Mont Jones

Broncos G Dalton Risner Addresses Upcoming Free Agency

January 6th, 2023 at 5:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Dalton Risner is finishing out his Broncos rookie contract on IR, and while the Colorado native grew up a fan of the team, it does not sound like a hometown discount will be forthcoming.

The former second-round pick stands to be one of the better guards available in March. Denver’s previous regime drafted Risner, and the current one identified a younger well-performing guard — Quinn Meinerz. These factors could point Risner out of town, but he is not ruling out a return to Denver. The parties have not discussed a deal, however.

“When it comes to this business, what everyone wants at some point as a player is to be valued,” Risner said, via Kyle Newman of the Denver Post. “So if the Broncos value me, and they want to keep me here and be a Denver Bronco, I can’t wait. That’s going to be one of the biggest things.

“But at the end of the day, it being a business… it’s like, ‘OK, where am I going to be valued at? Is it going to be with the Broncos or is it going to be somewhere else?”

The Broncos traded Bradley Chubb to the Dolphins at the deadline, passing on a possible franchise tag or extension. The team looks to now view Dre’Mont Jones, who went off the 2019 draft board a round after Risner, as its top free agent priority. Jones was less diplomatic on a desire to stay in Denver, creating an interesting offseason outlook for a Broncos team coming off its worst season in at least 12 years. That said, if it comes down to paying Jones or Risner, Mike Klis of 9News expects Jones to be the choice.

Risner joins Garett Bolles as the longest-tenured Broncos O-linemen. The former was drafted during Mike Munchak’s time with the team. With the Broncos shifting to a zone-blocking scheme this season, Pro Football Focus viewed Risner as taking a slight step back. After a top-30 grade in 2021, PFF slots the four-year starter 44th among guards. The advanced metrics site places Meinerz fifth. Two years remain on Meinerz’s rookie contract. Risner, 27, leaving Denver would create a hole at guard. Considering the Broncos may be on the lookout for a center and will continue their endless search for right tackle stability, a third need emerging up front would increase this franchise’s surprisingly steep uphill battle in 2023.

Risner’s durability and experience still stand to produce a nice payday. He has started all 62 games in which he has played. Although the Packers took the top guard free agent-to-be (Elgton Jenkins) off the market, Nate Davis, Isaac Seumalo, Will Hernandez, Ben Powers and Connor McGovern will be available. It is not hard to see a midlevel guard payment being required to sign Risner.

“I’ve given it everything I had for four years here. … I put everything out there, whether it was a good game or a bad game,” Risner said. “… I grew up watching this team every single Sunday, so it’s a blessing for me to have played here. I look back and I’m thankful and I’m proud of what I’ve done.”

Broncos Place DL Dre’Mont Jones On IR

December 17th, 2022 at 2:34pm CST by Ben Levine

Dre’Mont Jones‘ season has come to an end. The Broncos are placing the starting defensive lineman on injured reserve, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).

Jones suffered a hip injury during Denver’s loss to the Chiefs last weekend. According to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (on Twitter), the defensive lineman traveled to see two different hip specialists over the past two days. It was determined that the defensive lineman won’t need surgery but would require four to six weeks of recovery. With Denver out of the playoff picture, the IR stint will end the player’s season prematurely.

The former third-round pick is having a career season during his four year in the NFL. Jones leads the Broncos with 6.5 sacks, and he’s also added 47 tackles and 10 QB hits. The 25-year-old is set to his free agency following the season, and Troy Renck of Denver7 tweets that Denver’s front office would like to re-sign him.

It’s been a disaster of a season for the Broncos, and that could partly be attributed to injuries. Schefter notes that Jones will be Denver’s NFL-leading 19th player currently on IR, and the team’s had 25 players hit injured reserve in total this season.

Broncos DL Dre’Mont Jones Discusses Impending Free Agency

November 12th, 2022 at 10:11am CST by Ben Levine

Dre’Mont Jones‘ impending free agency couldn’t have come at a better time. The Broncos defensive lineman is having a career year and has likely improved his free agency stock heading into the second half of the season. Denver would like to re-sign its former third-round pick, but Jones didn’t sound overly enthused about re-signing when asked about his future.

“I am here right now,” Jones said plainly (via Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post). “…I view my standing with the franchise as, this is Dre going into Year 4, that’s all I can say.”

As Kiszla points out, Jones’ blunt remarks seem to indicate that come free agency, the player will clearly value money over “an empty promise of winning the Super Bowl.” It was assumed that a new deal could be coming for the defensive lineman after the Broncos traded Bradley Chubb to Miami, avoiding the star’s impending free agency and/or extension (Chubb ultimately inked a sizable new deal with the Dolphins). A deal for Jones could still materialize, but it sounds like the player will be betting on himself and hoping for a sizable offer from what should be a number of suitors during the offseason.

The Ohio State product has shown plenty of pass-rushing prowess throughout his career, collecting 15.5 sacks through his first three seasons in the NFL despite starting only 16 games. He’s taken on a full-time starting gig in 2022 and is en route to career-highs across the board. In eight starts, the 25-year-old has collected 31 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus hasn’t been particularly fond of his performance, ranking him 76th among 116 qualifying interior defenders, although the site did rank him within the top 20 for pass rushing.

Broncos Hope To Extend DL Dre’Mont Jones

November 2nd, 2022 at 4:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

At the past two trade deadlines, the Broncos have bailed on a second Von Miller extension and an initial Bradley Chubb re-up, trading Miller in 2021 and dealing Chubb to the Dolphins on Tuesday. But the team has an eye on extending one of its inside pass rushers.

Dre’Mont Jones joined Chubb in a contract year, and with Chubb out of the picture, the Broncos appear set to focus their attention on retaining the former third-round pick. With Chubb gone, the fourth-year defensive lineman leads the team with 5.5 sacks. Broncos GM George Paton called Jones one of the team’s core players and indicated (via Denver7’s Troy Renck) the team wants to have him in Denver for “a long time.”

Although the Broncos’ edge rush has garnered more attention this season — one that has produced a top-two defense despite the team losing key players to injury — Jones has three sacks over the past two games and is now one shy of his single-season high (established in 2020). After not topping the 65% play barrier in 2020 or ’21, Jones is playing 79% of the Broncos’ defensive snaps and is working as a full-time starter for the first time. The most recent AFC Defensive Player of the Week will be an interesting extension candidate, with the price tag likely rising this season.

Denver selected Jones out of Ohio State during John Elway‘s penultimate draft in the GM chair. The Broncos have moved on from their top two picks in the 2019 draft, including both Noah Fant and Drew Lock in the Russell Wilson trade. But Jones, 25, and second-round pick Dalton Risner are in contract years. Paton’s comments following the Chubb trade would seem to point to Jones as the higher priority.

Paton’s regime kept both Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick off the 2022 market, signing each to extensions midway through last season. Sutton’s $15MM-per-year deal now looks team-friendly, given where the receiver market went this year, so it will be interesting to see if the Broncos enter serious talks with Jones before the season concludes. One of Paton’s first acts as Broncos GM was to give D-lineman Shelby Harris a three-year, $27MM deal in 2021. With Harris also part of the Wilson trade, the Broncos signed D.J. Jones this year. But the team has relied on both its D-tackle Joneses this season.

It is a bit early to speculate on what Dre’Mont Jones could fetch on a long-term deal, but the upper echelon for inside rushers starts with Cameron Heyward‘s $16MM-per-year contract. Seven players reside between there and the Aaron Donald-only tier ($31.6MM AAV). The franchise tag might be a bit steep at this point, as it cost $17.4MM to tag a D-tackle this year. That would, however, be the surefire way for the Broncos to keep Jones off the market. While the Broncos are now a team with a franchise-quarterback salary on their books, Wilson’s cap numbers do not rise too high until 2024. That would make a tag more palatable for the Broncos, though it is still early to determine if Jones’ contract year will make him a worthy tag recipient.

Broncos To Activate A.J. Bouye From IR

October 23rd, 2020 at 3:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos will still be without their best players when they face the Chiefs Sunday, with Von Miller, Courtland Sutton and Jurrell Casey either out for the season or most likely (in Miller’s case) shelved until 2021. But they will be healthier on defense this week.

Vic Fangio said Friday that A.J. Bouye and defensive end Dre’Mont Jones will be activated from IR ahead of Denver’s home game against Kansas City. Bouye has been out since leaving the Broncos’ Week 1 loss with a shoulder injury. Despite the injuries, Denver’s defense ranks sixth in DVOA. Though, the Chiefs will certainly test the unit.

Denver acquired Bouye from Jacksonville this offseason, sending the Jaguars a fourth-round pick for the former Pro Bowler. Bouye has played just 28 snaps this season. The Broncos have relied on 2019 free agency acquisition Bryce Callahan, who has stayed healthy thus far after missing all of last season, and third-round rookie Michael Ojemudia at corner in Bouye’s absence.

Jones suffered a PCL strain and a bone bruise in his knee in Week 2 but will come off the team’s IR when first eligible. The 2019 third-round pick will be expected to play a key role going forward, with Casey out for the season. Jones recorded 3.5 sacks and an interception as a backup last year.

Broncos To Release DT Timmy Jernigan

October 20th, 2020 at 3:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos are set to end Timmy Jernigan‘s brief Denver stay. They are planning to release the veteran defensive tackle, Mike Klis of 9News tweets.

Down Jurrell Casey for the season and having placed Dre’Mont Jones on IR, the Broncos signed Jernigan late last month. He ended up playing a small role, working as a backup against the Jets and Patriots. The former Ravens and Eagles starter played just 11 defensive snaps for the Broncos, however.

Denver still has Jones on IR, but he is eligible to return to the active roster after missing the past three games. Vic Fangio said Jones and fourth-year defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker (also on IR) have a chance to play in Week 7. The Broncos used Shelby Harris, Mike Purcell and DeShawn Williams as their D-line starters against the Patriots. With Casey out, Jones would be in line for a bigger role than he had as a rookie.

This has been a complicated year for Jernigan, a full-time starter for the 2016 Ravens and 2017 Super Bowl champion Eagles. His one-year, $3.75MM Texans deal ended up being called off. The Jaguars signed him in mid-August but cut him in September. The 28-year-old defender will be back in free agency after another short stay with a team.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/21/20

September 21st, 2020 at 6:01pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Las Vegas Raiders

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Broncos Sign Rookie Dre’Mont Jones

June 10th, 2019 at 12:47pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos signed defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones to his four-year rookie deal, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). The third-round pick will receive a $4.188MM contract that includes a $1.066MM signing bonus. 

Jones was eligible to enter the 2018 draft, but opted for another season at Ohio State for additional seasoning. Entering this year’s draft, many pegged Jones as a potential first-round selection, but size and strength concerns contributed to a drop in stock between December and April. On draft week, Jones still appeared on target for the second round, but he fell to the third where the Broncos pounced.

While some evaluators are skittish about whether Jones can be a difference-maker at the next level, John Elway & Co. do not seem concerned. Jones is coming off of his best statistical season to date after notching 8.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss for the Buckeyes.

With Jones signed, the Broncos are left with just two unsigned rookies in tackle Dalton Risner and quarterback Drew Lock.

OSU’s Dre’Mont Jones To Enter NFL Draft

December 13th, 2018 at 9:14am CST by Zachary Links

Dre’Mont Jones is going pro. The Ohio State defensive lineman announced that he will forgo his final year of eligibility in order to enter the 2019 NFL Draft. 

[RELATED: FAU RB Devin Singletary To Enter NFL Draft]

The redshirt junior has been on the NFL radar for some time now and could have turned pro last year. However, he decided to return to the Buckeyes for another year of seasoning, and he believes that was the right call.

“I think it was a great decision for me to come back,” said Jones, who tallied 40 tackles, nine sacks, and two defensive touchdowns in his All-Big Ten season. “I kind of proved myself.”

Unlike other top prospects, Jones says that he will play in his team’s bowl game. So, for now, his focus is on the Jan. 1 Rose Bowl against No. 9 ranked Washington. After that, he’ll set his sights on gearing up for workouts.

“My thing with injuries is that they’re a part of the game,” Jones said. “You have to just play with it. As much as you think about it the more it can affect you.”

Most draft prognosticators see Jones as a first round talent – ESPN.com’s Todd McShay has Jones as the No. 21 ranked player on his board while Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller has him 19th. His pass rushing technique is said to need work, but he offers serious potential and his 6’3″, 286 pound frame looks to be NFL-ready.