Browns Reuniting With Former Defensive End Is Perfect Gamble As Offseason Slows Down

An NFL team can never afford to stay still, and with players having a few weeks off before reconvening at training camp in late July, front offices keep exploring ways to upgrade the roster.

The Cleveland Browns are no exception, and the team should still be looking for help at the defensive end spot.

We've already argued in favor of dealing for a former first-round pick that apparently has nowhere to grow in the Big Apple, but the Browns could also look towards a familiar face coming back after an unexpectedly successful 12th season in the league.

After playing for Cleveland during the 2021 and 2022 seasons as part of a formidable duo of starting defensive ends along with Myles Garrett, 33-year old Jadeveon Clowney should certainly be on the team’s radar as a comeback candidate.

Clowney enjoyed some bright moments with the Browns during his first stint, especially during that first season when he tallied 9.0 sacks in 14 starts. But the surprising thing about Clowney at this point of his career, is he’s still a factor as a pass-rusher.

After leaving Cleveland, Clowney tied his career best with a 9.5 sack season in Baltimore, and how he’s coming off an 8.5 sack season in Dallas, where he started six out of 13 games played. Given that he signed once the season had already started, and he didn’t debut for the Cowboys until Week 3, it’s fair to wonder what his sack total could have been if he had been with the team since Week 1.

In any case, the Browns need help at defensive end after sending Myles Garrett to the Rams via a trade that netted fellow pass-rusher Jared Verse along with a number of draft picks. And remember, the team also saw a free agent agreement with A.J. Epenesa fall through at the start of the offseason due to concerns with his physical.

Maybe Clowney doesn’t fit into the whole youth movement narrative that could be happening in Berea -- Deshaun Watson competing for the starting quarterback gig also disputes that notion -- but he doesn’t need to. As a one-year rental, Clowney’s addition should take a lot of pressure off Alex Wright, his former backup here in Cleveland and who is now slated to start opposite Verse on the Browns’ defensive line.

Why Jadeveon Clowney makes sense for the Browns

As was evidenced last year, Clowney doesn’t need a full offseason of workouts to be effective. Heck, he doesn’t need the preseason nor training camp, either. At this point in his career, you can just tell him where to line up and he’ll take care of the rest. That’s as easy an incorporation as it’s ever going to get.

Additionally, getting Clowney on board shouldn’t cost too much either, as he played last year on a $3.5 million deal in Dallas. How many 8.5-sack or better players are there in the NFL that cost so little? For context, Wright agreed to a three-year extension back in November for an annual average of $11 million, and his career-high is 5.5 sacks, set last year.

Perhaps, a more compelling argument in favor of adding Clowney can be made by looking at the 2025 sack totals of all current defensive ends currently on the Browns roster. After shipping Garrett and his NFL single-season record of 23 away for Verse, current Browns’ players combined for a whopping 15 sacks last season, all of them produced by just three guys: Verse (7.5), Wright (5.5) and Isaiah McGuire (2.0).

Cleveland’s depth is provided by three undrafted free agents in Logan Fano, Tyreak Sapp and Khordae Sydnor. They’re joined by Julian Okwara and Benton Whitley, neither of which logged a snap last season. That’s it.

So, why wouldn’t you pick up the phone and ask Clowney if he’d be interested in coming back?

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