FOXBORO — Patriots outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones has been in obvious pain on the field multiple times this season, but he keeps playing through injuries.
His position coach, Mike Smith, put it best.
“He is a war daddy, man,” Smith said. “He is tough. He fits well in the room.”
The Patriots currently have just three outside linebackers on their roster in Jones, Elijah Ponder and Gabe Jacas, so they need the best of them every week.
Jones, who signed a three-year, $39 million contract in free agency this offseason, is the veteran of the group in his eighth NFL season, while Ponder is in Year 2 and Jacas is a rookie.
“You can’t have a better leader in a room than Dre’Mont Jones,” Smith said. “I mean, he pushes through a lot. Almost get a little emotional about Dre’Mont, but he’s our leader. We talk about when you build a room, they don’t know who the leader is from the outside in because we all play hard, play physical. But Dre is that guy, and he pushes through it every day. He won’t tell you how bad he hurts or what’s going on. He’s just going to do his job and make sure everybody else does their job. And so he’s very important to not just this room but the team and this defense. Violent human being.”
Get to know Jones better on and off the field in the latest installment of our New Patriots Q&A series.
Q: What’s your first football memory?
A: My earliest football memory is probably watching Troy Smith, Ted Ginn, Anthony Gonzalez and Santonio Holmes (at Ohio State).
Q: What was your top high school football memory?
A: I damn near — I came in the backfield real fast. I took the handoff to the crib.
Q: Top college football memory.
A: TCU in 2018 had like a bunch of stats and got a pick-six too.
Note: Jones had six tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and a pick-six in that game.
New England Patriots defensive end Dre’Mont Jones, middle, and defensive back Craig Woodson chase down Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock during an NFL football game, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
Q: What made Ohio State special for you?
A: Just growing up being a fan always, and then having a legendary head coach (Urban Meyer), legendary D-line coach (Larry Johnson). I mean, it’s just a legendary program. I love the city of Columbus. I always liked going to Columbus when I was a little kid. And then living there was great. So everything was a dream come true as a Cleveland kid.
Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t a football player?
A: I wanted to be a nurse, so I don’t know if I would be one, but I would have tried.
Q: Favorite athlete growing up?
A: LeBron (James), Kobe (Bryant).
Q: Do you have a favorite movie?
A: Titanic. And live-action Scooby-Doo.
Q: Favorite musical artist?
A: I got artists: Drake, Chris Brown.
Q: Who have you been closest with on the team so far?
A: Everybody in the OLB room. We always hang out the most.
Q: Who’s the funniest player on the team?
A: Funniest? I don’t know. A lot of funny dudes, though, if you talk to them. Like (Christian) Barmore is the loudest and the funniest, but there are some quiet funny ones, too. Like our young receiver Cam (Dorner). I think he’s funny. Some of our p-squad like Jake (Kubas). He’s funny. I think Hunter (Henry). I mean, I don’t talk to Hunter a lot, a lot, but I think Hunter’s sarcastic funny.
Q: What do you like the most about the New England region so far?
A: The old traditions. I like the old traditional look with a modern feel to it. Kind of my style.
Q: Is there a player across the league you feel like is underrated or underappreciated?
A: Me. I’d say Jaelan Phillips. Trevis Gipson, great with Carolina. I mean, he’s a dog already, but I still feel like Maxx (Crosby) is underappreciated.
Q: Do you have a hidden talent?
A: I don’t.
Q: I heard you’re good at basketball.
A: I’m good at basketball.
Q: You played baseball too, right?
A: I played baseball too. I was pretty solid.
Q: What position did you play?
A: I played first and center.
Q: Is there a topic you know more about than anyone else in the locker room?
A: Astronomy.