The Baltimore Ravens sent a fifth-round pick to the Tennessee Titans in a trade for OLB Dre’Mont Jones, but it could rise to a fourth rounder. According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, the fifth-round selection is a conditional one, and the conditions are pretty realistic. Even still, the difference between the two is not dramatic.
The Titans must see two conditions met for the Ravens to send them the better draft pick. First, Dre’Mont Jones must record at least two sacks. Second, the Ravens must reach the playoffs. Jones had 4.5 sacks this season before the trade, so that’s plausible. And Baltimore, now healthy, can easily make a push for a playoff spot.
It’s worth noting that the Ravens are projected to have five fifth-round picks, and they are sending their lowest one to the Titans for Jones. It’s the one they got from the Jets, who will be in contention for the first-overall pick. If the Ravens make the playoffs, the difference between a late fourth-round pick and an early fifth-round pick won’t be dramatic.
Conditional draft picks are common, and the Steelers have been involved in plenty of them. Just last year, they traded for QB Justin Fields, whom they acquired on the cheap. They sent the Bears a conditional sixth-round pick, which could have risen to a fourth based on playing time. The Steelers have used this for other trades in the past, too, such as for Brandon Boykin or Levi Brown.
Still, it doesn’t hurt to note the conditions, especially since the conditions for the Ravens’ trade for Dre’Mont Jones are plausible. He has 35 career sacks and has recorded 4.5 sacks in his last four games. While two more would actually tie his career high, it’s certainly achievable.
And the Ravens may only be 3-5 right now, but many even consider them favorites to win the AFC North. They do control their destiny, only two games behind the Steelers and with two games against them coming up. Winning the division might actually be easier than the Wild Card route. Right now, the seventh seed is the 5-3 Jaguars. And Baltimore has one of the easier remaining schedules on top of that.
Before trading for Dre’Mont Jones, the Ravens did trade another pass rusher. Last month, they sent former first-round pick Odafe Oweh to the Chargers for S Alohi Gilman. The addition of Gilman helped solidify the back end of their defense and enabled them to exploit Kyle Hamilton’s talents. Oweh never fully lived up to his potential, though he had his best season in 2024. In five games with the Ravens this year, he failed to record a sack—but he has four in four games for the Chargers. And they play the Steelers next, so now he’s Pittsburgh’s problem again. And it will worry about Dre’Mont Jones later on.
