Dryptosaurus has been classified in a number of theropod families. Cope (1866), Leidy (1868) and Lydekker (1888) noted obvious similarities with the genus Megalosaurus which was known at the time from remains discovered in southeastern England. Based on this line of reasoning, Cope classified it as a megalosaurid. Marsh, however, examined the remains and later assigned to its own monotypic family, Dryptosauridae. The fossil material assigned to Dryptosaurus was reviewed by Ken Carpenter in 1997 in light of the many different theropods discovered since Cope's day. He felt that due to some unusual features it couldn't be placed in any existing family, and like Marsh, felt that it warranted placement in Dryptosauridae. This phylogenetic assignment was also supported by the work of Russell (1970) and Molnar (1990). Other phylogenetic studies during the 1990s suggested that Dryptosaurus was a coelurosaur, though its exact placement within that group remained uncertain. In 1946, Charles W. Gilmore was the first to observe that certain anatomical features may link Dryptosaurus with coeval Late Cretaceous tyrannosaurids, Albertosaurus and Tyrannosaurus. This observation was also supported by the work of Baird and Horner (1979), but did not have wide acceptance until a new discovery was made in 2005. Dryptosaurus was the only large carnivore known in eastern North America until the discovery of the basal tyrannosauroid Appalachiosaurus in 2005. Appalachiosaurus which is known from more complete remains, is similar to Dryptosaurus in both body size and morphology. This discovery made it clear that Dryptosaurus was a primitive tyrannosauroid. Detailed phylogenetic analysis by Brusatte et al. (2013) confirmed the tyrannosauroid affinities of Dryptosaurus and assigned it as an "intermediate" tyrannosauroid that is more derived than basal taxa such as Guanlong and Dilong, but more primitive than members of the more derived Tyrannosauridae. The following cladogram containing almost all tyrannosauroids is by Loewen et al. (2013). Brown (2021) found Dryptosaurus to be the sister taxon to "Cryptotyrannus", an informally named theropod from the Merchantville Formation of Delaware. Brownstein (2021) also reinstated the family Dryptosauridae, which now includes both "Cryptotyrannus" and Dryptosaurus. Paleoecology The type specimen of Dryptosaurus ANSP 9995 was recovered in the West Jersey Marl Company Pit, in what came to be known as the Hornerstown Formation in Barnsboro, Mantua Township, in Gloucester County, New Jersey. The specimen was collected by quarry workers in marl and sandstone that were deposited during the Maastrichtian stage of the Cretaceous period, approximately