The New England Patriots have been extremely busy in the few days before the NFL's legal tampering period opened up on Monday. And, as it cracked open, we saw plenty of signings taking place right off the bat.
The Patriots kicked things off by agreeing to terms with pass rusher Dre'Mont Jones, who was one of the top available free agents this year. In fact, he checked in right at no. 53 overall on our big board.
New England didn't just sign a versatile defender, they took him right out from beneath the Baltimore Ravens, which had to feel a little sweeter than your standard free agent signing.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Patriots' deal with Jones is for three years and $39.5 million.
Patriots agree to terms with a top Ravens free agent as Dre'Mont Jones is headed to New England
Jones comes to New England after the Ravens went out and traded for him just last season. Baltimore spent a conditional fifth-round pick in order to land Jones from the Tennessee Titans.
Last season, before getting traded out of an awful situation in Tennessee, Jones had tallied 4.5 sacks in nine games. From there, he only notched 2.5 sacks with the Ravens, but one might argue that the Ravens were in a tough spot as well.
This year's Ravens team should feel a whole lot different than last year's squad, with Lamar Jackson hopefully being healthy, a new staff and other additions being made. That said, Jones' impact on the Mike Vrabel defense will very likely be a whole lot bigger than we saw in Baltimore last season.
Jones just turned 29 in January, and while he's almost to that age-30 threshold, he's been as consistent a player as anyone of his caliber since coming into the NFL. Over seven years in the league, Jones has averaged around 5.0 sacks per season.
But, sacks dont' tell the whole story. All of last season, Jones tallied a strong 51 quarterback pressures, per Pro Football Focus. He might not strike you as a regular starter, but Jones is indeed a guy you want on the field more often than not. He is a disruptor, and sacks don't always tell you that.
Vrabel and his defense got a good one.