The Dallas Cowboys might consider one of the most experienced pass-rushers in NFL.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report believes that defensive end Jadeveon Clowney should be pursued by the team. Knox claims that the Cowboys must replace Randy Gregory, and that Clowney fills that void.
Knox stated that Clowney “would be an excellent addition to the Cowboys’ losing Gregory,”. The Cowboys signed Dante Fowler Jr. free agency but he has been struggling to keep up with the Los Angeles Rams. They also didn’t draft an edge-rusher.
Dallas had 41 sacks in 2021. Six of those were tallied and logged by Gregory. Clowney signing would replace Gregory’s production, and more.
Gregory and Clowney share a lot in common. They are both better pass-rushers that their sack numbers usually show. Clowney had nine sacks last season for the Cleveland Browns. However, he only had three sacks in the 2019 season with Seattle Seahawks.
Pro Football Focus reports that Clowney had a pass-rushing grade of 88.1 during the 2019 season. This placed him 16th among edge rushers who have at least 100 snaps. In comparison, Gregory, a former Cowboys edge rusher, had only six sacks in the 2021 season. His 84.4 pass rush grade was ranked 10th out of all edge rushers.
Clowney was also 23rd in edge rushers last season with 32 quarterback pressures and 37 tackles.
Clowney does not appear to be in any hurry to sign with a team before June’s mandatory minicamp, according to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports HQ ( h/t Matt Howe from 247 Sports).
Jones stated that Jadeveon Clowney doesn’t seem to be interested in being under contract and reporting to OTAs voluntarily or to mandatory minicamp in June.
Spotrac reports that Clowney has a market value of $12.7 million for each season. It wouldn’t surprise, however, if Clowney signed with a team at a lower value given that he is still a free agent well into May.
Last season, Clowney made just under $7.5million with the Browns. Clowney could sign with Dallas because the Cowboys only have a little more than $11 million of available cap space.
Clowney could be offered his market value contract if Cleveland has $23.7 million of salary cap space. It helps, too, that Clowney had one of his best seasons in the Browns’ organization.
It’s also worth noting that Myles Garrett (Clowney’s star defensive end) vouched for Clowney signing with the Browns in an Instagram post in April.
Clowney posted two photos on his Instagram Story. One was a side-by photo of the pair holding their draft jerseys. The caption read ‘Only 2 defensive players have gone 1st in the last fifteen drafts’. One photo showed them handing their Browns jerseys to Garrett during the Bears game. Garrett had set the Browns single-game record for sacks with 4.5. The caption said, “Job not done.” ‘”
Clowney’s final destination will be revealed, but it would not surprise if he played for another team in 2022, considering his four previous seasons with different teams.