The start of the 2023 regular season is less than one month away, and there are still a few big-name free agents left on the market. Former first-round pick and three-time Pro Bowl selection Jadeveon Clowney is one of these players, but the South Carolina product might find a new home in the coming days. According to reports across the league, Clowney recently visited with the Jacksonville Jaguars and has also received an offer from the Baltimore Ravens.
Free agent pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney visited the #Jaguars today, and his visit just ended, source said. No contract is imminent for Clowney, who also visited the #Ravens.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 13, 2023
Two AFC Contenders Fighting For Jadeveon Clowney
Does Jadeveon Clowney Have Anything Left?
While NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that no contract is imminent, it’s safe to assume that Clowney will find a new team before long. It’s not uncommon for veteran players like Clowney to wait until August to sign with a new team, as this allows experienced pros to skip out on training camp without incurring any financial punishments. Just because he’s still available doesn’t mean that he no longer has anything left in his tank, and both traditional metrics and advanced data suggest he can still help the right team.
Jadeveon Clowney spent the 2022 season with the Cleveland Browns, appearing in 12 games while making 10 starts. While on the field, the edge defender finished the year with two sacks, 28 tackles, four quarterback hits, four tackles-for-loss, and one forced fumble. While his traditional stats didn’t jump off the page, he did finish the year with a 75.8 PFF grade, making him the 27th-best edge defender among 119 eligible players.
So, a player like this can still help in the right role, but he probably isn’t the type of guy that can lead a pass rush anymore. With that in mind, do the Jacksonville Jaguars or Baltimore Ravens make sense for Jadeveon Clowney?
Potential Fits
The Baltimore Ravens hosted Jadeveon Clowney a while back and reportedly made a contract offer. While Clowney has obviously not accepted that deal as of this posting, the fact this offer exists in the first place makes them the favorite to land the three-time Pro Bowler. While the Ravens play in a tough division, it’s easy to see why Baltimore believes they can compete with an additional pass rusher.
Baltimore’s edge defenders currently have a lot of promise but are completely unproven. 2022 second-round pick David Ojabo hardly played as a rookie due to his Achilles injury and nobody knows what he can do at the professional level. He’s one of the biggest X-factors in the NFL due to his ceiling, but he might never reach his ceiling. Odafe Oweh, meanwhile, has played well in small doses but has yet to justify his first-round draft status. 2017 second-round pick Tyus Bowser will also be in the mix, but he’s nothing more than a league-average starter. Put simply, adding Jadeveon Clowney to this group would add a much-needed veteran presence to help guide the younger players.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, meanwhile, are in a similar boat. Former first-round pick Josh Allen is one of the better pass rushers in the league, but he desperately needs another partner. 2022 first-overall pick Travon Walker didn’t do much of anything as a rookie, compiling just 3.5 sacks in 15 games. While it’s obviously too early to completely give up on him, Jacksonville needs a backkup plan if Walker never turns into anything more than an ok player. Jadeveon Clowney provides this security and should be a welcome addition to this team.
Main Photo: Geoff Burke – USA Today Sports
