Despite sitting on the free agent market until mid-September last season, edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney emerged as a rare bright spot on a porous Cowboys defense. Playing on a one-year, $3.5MM deal, Clowney notched 41 tackles (12 TFL), 8.5 sacks and four passes defensed in 13 games.
A return to Dallas looked like a strong possibility toward the end of the season, but it may not be in the cards after the hiring of new defensive coordinator Christian Parker. As things stand, the Cowboys do not see Clowney as the right fit in Parker’s system, Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS reports.
If the 33-year-old Clowney signs elsewhere, he could join his eighth team ahead of his 13th season. Along with the Cowboys, the 2014 No. 1 overall pick has spent time with the Texans, Seahawks, Titans, Browns, Ravens and Panthers. In 2023, his only year in Baltimore, Clowney put together his lone 17-game campaign and tied a career high with 9.5 sacks. Three years later, Clowney would be willing to rejoin the Ravens.
“They got a lot of good guys that I can relate to in that locker room,” he told Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. “I’ll definitely be open to going back to Baltimore, playing with Lamar Jackson now. It was a great time for me.”
It is unclear if the Ravens are interested in Clowney, especially after replacing former head coach John Harbaugh with Jesse Minter. But the Ravens have emphasized upgrading their pass rush this offseason, and Clowney is among the top choices left in free agency. After a blockbuster Maxx Crosby trade with the Raiders collapsed, the Ravens pivoted to free agent Trey Hendrickson on a four-year, $112MM agreement. General manager Eric DeCosta has insisted (to much outside skepticism) Baltimore wanted both Crosby and Hendrickson. Meanwhile, Dre’Mont Jones left for the Patriots in free agency, and Kyle Van Noy remains unsigned.
As of now, Tavius Robinson, 2025 second-round pick Mike Green and 2024 third-rounder Adisa Isaac are the Ravens’ main complements to Hendrickson. Considering Baltimore has 11 picks, including No. 14 overall, it would not be a surprise to see DeCosta add at least one pass rusher in the draft. The Ravens also have $29.54MM in cap space, giving them ample room to pay Clowney if they are interested in a reunion.
Bro is NOT passing a Baltimore physical
I mean, yeah, he should have stayed after having a late career renaissance a couple of years ago. Whether Clowney’s as much of a fit in Minter’s system as he was in McDonald’s is a worthy topic of discussion, but Clowney can still offer value on the field. Given the fact that Baltimore just signed a veteran free agent (one who’s done better as a sack artist), Clowney might not be a fit.
He will be cheap, in all likelihood, so a deal could be done, but I don’t think that Baltimore necessarily needs him after the Hendrickson deal. Clowney would be a rotational edge defender who offers plenty against the run (and creates pressure more often than sacks), so he could be a cheap vet in that regard, but I think that there are other teams who may need him more.
Offers plenty against the run? Have you seen him play? He is terrible against the run and a poor tackler. His only value is getting to the QB.
Yes, that is Clowney’s primary value. He has never been a dominant pass rusher, though he’s had years where he’s been very good in that area. But, for reference, he had a 70.6 run defense grade from PFF just last year. That’s 26th amongst edge defenders. His career best year, back in 2017 in Houston, he had 9.5 sacks and 21 TFLs. In his career, he’s never had double digit sacks, but he’s had double digit TFL five times. Most of his pass rusher positives come from (as I mentioned above) his ability to generate pressure consistently, even if he doesn’t always finish with a sack.
Clowney has had good pass rush years, of course. As a defender, though, he’s always been known as being great against the run. This is a long standing perspective on him that’s been known since he entered the league. SBnation’s draft profile on him, for instance, mentions his run defense as the “most elite part” of his game, due to his ability to pursue quickly from any position to the back and quick first step.
Clowney shows this when you watch him on tape in the pros-though he often plays too high leverage wise in pass rush (which explains his high pressure rate and lack of sacks-quick first step and good athleticism pushes linemen back, but they can recover due to his high leverage), he excels at getting to spots quickly when he needs to and either clogging a lane or getting hands on a back (long wingspan helps with that too, even while being blocked).
So, yes, I’ve watched Clowney play. His year in Baltimore was interestingly one of the few where his pass rusher positives may have been better than his run defense (as evidenced by his numbers-9.5 sacks versus, somehow 9 TFLs). But over his career, he’s been regarded as at best an elite or at least good run defender, and occasionally a great pass rusher. It’s hard to say that someone who has five seasons of double digit TFLs and none of double digit sacks is better at rushing the passer than he is at stopping the run, but you can can see it on tape if you like. I still like Clowney’s value in both areas, especially as a low cost signing, but he’s been better in run defense overall than in pass rush, with few exceptions.
Clowney is overhated even at 32 playing on a 3.5mil contract he got 8.5 sacks in 13 games. He might not be the best of the best and have some issues or whatever but bro is a solid defender.
Would be a good piece to any contender
Yeah, if you compare him to what he was supposed to be, of course he’s a disappointment. But if you take him for what he is, he’s a good contributor.