CLEVELAND, Ohio – Jadeveon Clowney will land in Cleveland on Tuesday night and take his Browns body Wednesday morning to ensure his surgically repaired torn meniscus is adequately healed. If he succeeds – and is expected to do so – he could sign his contract by noon and join Myles Garrett as an overall choice for the first time.
This is not good news for Ben Roethlisberger, Lamar Jackson or Joe Burrow, but it could be a good move for the Browns, who also chased the three-time Pro Bowler.
The Browns will get Clowney at a substantial bargain, as he missed eight games last season with the knee injury and was unable to pick up a bag in eight times. He is likely to sign a one-year deal in the $ 9 million or $ 10 million series, which is significantly less than other free agent leaders have received this season.
Here are five reasons why it’s the right thing to do:
1. Clowney improves post immediately
The Browns considered several free agents, including Yannick Ngakoue and Carl Lawson, but were unwilling to pay the high salaries they had ordered this off-season. Instead, the Browns won two former firsts for the price of one in Clowney and the Hawks no. 26 of 2017, thanks to McKinley, who last month signed a $ 4.25 million one-year deal.
Clowney, 28, has carved just three sacks in the past two seasons, but also has a good defense of the lead and good pressure. According to Pro Football Focus, he finished 19th among 109 defensive edge defenders last season. He is also in the 95th percentile in defending the runs since being selected as No. 1 by the Texans in 2014, and in the 77th percentile in passing ability.
Surprisingly, he has never picked up double-digit pockets, but came in at 9.5 in 2017 and 9.0 in 2018 when he played alongside JJ Watt, the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year. But he influences the quarterfinals throughout and puts the lead at an elite level. In each of the past three seasons, he has been a top 20 defender.
For some teams, Clowney will be a defensive point 1. For the Browns, he will be the no. 2 versus Garrett, but he’s almost more like 1 1/2.
2. He will complement Garrett well
Teams will want to run away from Clowney, but will face Garrett. He will also relieve Garrett of the incessant double tension, especially if he is healthy. During the first ten weeks of last season, before conceding to the torn meniscus, Clowney was tied with 22 rabbits for ninth place in the NFL, as were Bud Dupree, Joey Bosa and TJ Watt. They were just two less than Garrett.
He was 22nd tied with six QB hits, and 21st in defense, 12 degrees ahead of Garrett at that point.
Teams will be responsible for both. Playing with Garrett, a first-team All-Pro, who finished sixth last season with 12 bags, is like jogging it back with Watt for Clowney. They can chase each from both sides, enabling the Browns to get creative with matches. They can also both chase inwards, and both will move around the line. With the supportive environment in Cleveland under Kevin Stefanski, a player like Clowney can start his career.
3. He hits a good one-two punch with Takk McKinley
Like Clowney, McKinley has been challenged with a bag over the past few years and has scored just seven in his last 30 games. But McKinley started well last season before tearing his groin muscle and hitting Russell Wilson five times in the first half of the Hawks’ first day loss to the Seahawks, six overall. Former Falcons coach Dan Quinn told cleveland.com that McKinley was on his way to having a career year last season. He believes the Browns are getting the player who mutilated him for not choosing his fifth-year option. Clowney’s signing will light another fire under McKinley and possibly bring out the beast in him.
In addition, they have different skills and may vary depending on the downward or corresponding range. McKinley has an excellent influence on the QB, Clowney is better against the run. Both players have some risk, but they have to push each other, and that will benefit the team.
4. He will help with Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray and Patrick Mahomes
Clowney, who despite his 6-5 255-pound frame beat all defensive lineouts in 2014 with a freakish 4.53 in the 40, will be instrumental in containing mobile quarterbacks. Jackson, Mahomes and Murray will be responsible for four of the 17 Browns games next season.
Clowney, who can pass and strike out on the line, has scored 32 bags, nine forced fumbles, eight repairs, 75 tackles for a loss and 86 QB hits in his seven-year career. He plays games and can dominate when he’s going.
5. It frees the Browns for the concept
The signing of Clowney will not prevent the Browns from becoming an edge-rusher at no. 26, but it enables them to take the most dominant player available. With Clowney and McKinley in tow, the Browns can feel comfortable setting up a cornerback like Greg Newsome II or Caleb Farley, a receiver or whoever is the best player at 26.
Still, they will keep an eye on fringe riders like Tulsa’s Zaven Collins and Georgia’s Azeez Ojulari as their riders of the future. Clowney and McKinley will both have a one-year deal so the Browns can make a new end and pick up the ground next year if they follow the trail. But they will have the luxury of dropping the first round among them, knowing that they are set in most positions – especially extraordinary.
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