Brian Schottenheimer gives honest review of Jadeveon Clowney's Cowboys debut

The Dallas Cowboys defense gave up 40 points in Sunday night's overtime tie against the Green Bay Packers, but for Jadeveon Clowney, it was a solid start to his career in DFW.

The former Carolina Panthers edge rusher played 23 snaps and recorded three tackles in his debut.

Though it wasn't all that he thought he could do, Clowney impressed head coach Brian Schottenheimer anyway.

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“I talked to JD after the game, and he was hard on himself," Schottenheimer said. "He said, ‘I’m knocking the rust off, Schotty. I’ll be better.’ If that’s knocking the rust off, man, I’ll take two of those. He’s fitting in great. He really is. I love veterans with experience that are willing to talk and teach the young guys, because we need that.”

First look at Jadeveon Clowney in a #Cowboys uniform pic.twitter.com/ZgGS765UCY
— Tommy Yarrish (@tommy_yarrish) September 28, 2025

Knocking the rust off was what the Cowboys needed from Clowney. He's slowly but surely integrating himself into the defensive line rotation and he's only been practicing at full-speed with the team for a week.

According to the grades from Pro Football Focus for Week 4, Clowney was the Cowboys' third-highest graded defender against the Packers. He trailed edge rusher James Houston (89.3) and cornerback Trevon Diggs (83.3) with a grade of 72.

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Compared to his performances last season, Clowney's three tackles were middle-of-the-road. The Cowboys know he can be even more effective in disrupting the passer.

Hopefully for the Cowboys, he'll be able to put that skillset on display in Week 5 as Dallas faces the New York Jets and QB Justin Fields. Fields has taken three sacks so far this season and missed Week 3 with a concussion.

Carolina Panthers linebacker Jadeveon Clowney runs onto the field before the game at Bank of America Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

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