Getty Dre'Mont Jones of the Denver Broncos.
The Cleveland Browns want to bring Dre’Mont Jones home and the free agent defensive tackle sounds interested in the proposition.
The Browns are eager to rebuild their defensive line and Jones would check a lot of boxes for Cleveland. He started all 13 games he appeared in last season with the Denver Broncos, notching a career-high 6.5 sacks and 47 tackles. His season ended early with a hip injury, although he’ll be good to go for the start of the regular season.
The Browns’ interest in Jones was first reported by Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, who spoke with him about the possibility of “coming home.” Jones — a former third-round pick — went to high school in Ohio and went on to play for Ohio State in college.
“I’m pretty sure that’s a lot of Ohio kids’ dream come true,” Jones told cleveland.com. “It’s an honor to have your hometown team be interested in you. So that alone, I appreciate it.”
Jones on Free Agency: ‘I’m Open for Every Team’
Jones did pump the brakes on the Browns being his sure-fire, No. 1 option. Despite his links to the team, he’s keeping his mind open.
Jim Schwartz’s Attacking Defense Attractive to Free Agent Linemen
The Browns’ defense is now under the direction of veteran defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who will implement a wide-9 defense, creating more opportunities for defensive linemen to make plays. Jones can play both inside and outside and would be a great fit for the attacking scheme.
“That plays a part into any decision-making you do,” Jones said. “You look at what they have already, the coaching, the players. It’s all a part of the process of figuring out where you want to go. So him being there is huge for that defense. If I am there hopefully, I’ll be part of something great, but I can’t really say much until I figure out what I’m doing. I know he’s a hell of a coach, though.”
Schwartz has been open about wanting to be an “attacking” unit and maximizing the output of his playmakers up front.
“I like to call it an ‘attack defense,'” Schwartz said. “We’re not a ‘read’ team up front. We’re an ‘attack’ team. We’re going to be disruptive. We’re hitting spots. It’s probably not as wide as it used to be, but it’s pretty simple in theory.
“It allows the players to play fast and puts them in the best position to rush the quarterback and play the run in between.”