Ravens Insider: Ravens’ Dre’Mont Jones ready for Cleveland homecoming: ‘Cool to be back’

[ExtremeRavens]

It’ll be Dre’Mont Jones’ second trip to Cleveland’s Huntington Bank Field on Sunday, and the homecoming still means plenty.

Baltimore’s recent trade addition grew up in Cleveland — where weekends were spent on the couch watching Ohio State on Saturdays and the Browns on Sundays. The defensive lineman will now look to build on an impressive Ravens debut in front of a hometown crowd.

“It’s cool to be back home and look at the stadium you used to grow up watching 24/7 every week and then get the opportunity to play in it,” Jones said. “Beyond that, I’m a Raven. My focus is on how I can make this team better.”

When asked about his fondest memories growing up as a Browns fan, Jones joked there “wasn’t too many.”

His watching partner was his father — where they’d either order food or cook for each game.

“I looked forward to every one of those weekends with him,” said Jones, who played at Ohio State.

The Ravens surrendered a conditional fifth-round draft pick for the seven-year veteran on Nov. 3 after he logged 4 1/2 sacks in nine games with Tennessee. He played 39 snaps in his Ravens debut against the Vikings, moving around the inside and outside of the defensive line. He recorded a tackle and four quarterback pressures.

Jones said that his experience playing every technique along the defensive line made the transition seamless. He felt his pass rushing was sharp in his Ravens debut and appreciated the trust from coaches to move across the front with confidence.

Left tackle Ronnie Stanley said that Jones’ presence adds a new dimension to Baltimore’s defense, creating more one-on-one chances for interior linemen and increasing overall pass-rush pressure.

“He’s disruptive on the edge, does his job and was doing what we went out and got him to do,” outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy said.

Coach John Harbaugh said last week that the trade for Jones had been “in the works for awhile.” The move came at a pivotal time for Baltimore, which is tied for last in the NFL with 12 sacks. Harbaugh noted that Jones would be integrated immediately — and he was, featuring the variety of looks against Minnesota’s offense.

Related Articles

• Ravens injury report: Marlon Humphrey ruled out; 7 others limited or absent
• Watch ‘Overtime’ of Ep. 11 of the BMore Football Podcast with The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston and Jerry Coleman presented by Rice Law
• Ravens QB Lamar Jackson absent from practice with knee injury
• Ravens WR Rashod Bateman not expected to play Sunday vs. Browns: source
• Meet the undrafted Ravens rookie becoming a special teams star

“He got all his assignments right, and had all the terms right, and was versatile along the line,” Harbaugh said after the 27-19 win over Minnesota. “[He] was a factor — physicality, quickness, knows how to play the game. He added a good flavor to it.”

Jones said that he spent his first week in Baltimore working to get acclimated to his new setting and learning his new teammates.

“It’s not the easiest thing in the world to do — just pick up and go,” Jones said. “But it’s part of the job.”

Jones told media Wednesday that he’s looking forward to seeing his family Sunday — including his partner, his kids, both sides of the family and two older brothers.

“I feel like I’ve been lost for a little bit, unintentionally,” Jones said. “I don’t know anything about Baltimore. It’s good to be back.”

As for the amount of tickets he requested for the game, Jones smiled at the question.

“No comment,” he laughed.

Have a news tip? Contact Michael Howes at mhowes@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Mikephowes. 

View the full article