Bengals' Early-Season Test Just Got Tougher After Texans' Latest Move

The Cincinnati Bengals already knew their first road game of the season would be a major early-season test.

That challenge just became even tougher.

Veteran pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney is returning to the Houston Texans, the team that selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, according to Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Clowney Adds to an Already-Loaded Texans Pass Rush

Jun 10, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; A detail view of a Houston Texans helmet on the field during the team’s minicamp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Clowney gives Houston another proven weapon to unleash against Joe Burrow and Cincinnati's offensive line. Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. combined for 27 sacks last season, leaving Houston with two defenders capable of taking over a game from opposite sides of the defensive front.

Clowney makes that group even deeper and more difficult to prepare for. The 33-year-old recorded 8.5 sacks in just 13 games with the Dallas Cowboys last season and has totaled 23.5 sacks over the past three years. Now, he can thrive as a third option on a dangerous defensive line.

That could create major problems for a Bengals team that has consistently struggled to find its footing early in the season. Cincinnati opened consecutive years in 2023 and 2024 with an 0-2 start. In 2025, a 2-4 start to the season led to a 6-11 finish. They've repeatedly forced themselves to spend the rest of the season trying to recover from a hole dug in September.

The Bengals cannot allow that trend to return. They open the season at home, then travel to Houston, where their offensive line will be immediately tested against one of the deepest defensive fronts in football.

Protecting Burrow and avoiding obvious passing situations will be critical if the Bengals want to control the game and stay out of trouble in their early-season duel against Houston. The Texans already have the personnel to expose any weaknesses Cincinnati might have up front — and adding Clowney gives them another experienced defender capable of wrecking a play.

The Week 2 matchup, scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 20, at 1:00 pm EST, was already an important early measuring-stick game. For a team known for slow starts, facing Houston's loaded pass rush just became an even more daunting test. The Bengals are hoping to make the playoffs for the first time since 2022.

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