Defensive end Arthur Jones thinks that the Ravens look like a “dream team in the making,” so it’s not surprising that he decided to assure himself a spot in the locker room.
The Ravens announced Wednesday that Jones has signed his restricted free agent tender well ahead of the April 19 deadline to solicit offers from other teams. There’s no sign that any such offers were coming for Jones, who would have commanded a second-round pick as compensation from any team that wanted to pry him away from Baltimore.
Jones had a strong season for the Ravens in 2012, picking up 4.5 sacks and 47 tackles as part of their defensive line group. The 2010 fifth-round pick, who will make $2.023 million next season, will join Chris Canty, Marcus Spears and Pernell McPhee in the fight for playing time alongside Haloti Ngata up front for Baltimore. It should be a strong group, especially if Jones builds on his 2012 breakout.
The Ravens also announced that linebacker Albert McClellan signed the exclusive rights free agent tender that barred him from signing with anybody else.