The Cleveland Browns have a star edge defender in Myles Garrett already. No matter what Pittsburgh Steelers fans may think of him as a person, his talent on the field cannot be denied, and the fact of the matter is that he will be on the field, since the NFL agreed to reinstate him from an indefinite suspension.
But they are still working on a solution for who would be playing across from him. Last year, they traded Pro Bowl guard Kevin Zeitler to the New York Giants in exchange for Olivier Vernon. While he was successful when healthy, injuries have been a concern from him, and the Browns haven’t been shy about exploring their options.
According to reports, in fact, they have been the hottest team on the market for Jadeveon Clowney, arguably the biggest name not currently under contract, as he appears to wait for not only the perfect deal, but in the perfect spot.
A former first-overall pick of the Houston Texans, the Seattle Seahawks traded for him last year, but they have yet to agree to terms on a potential reunion. According to John Clayton, Clowney has already turned down Cleveland’s offer, the largest he has received, and that if he wanted to be in Cleveland, he would already be there.
The Browns did sign veteran Adrian Clayborn to a one-year contract, but not one that would preclude them from signing somebody else whom they believe would be able to start. It is possible, perhaps even likely, that they would proceed to release Vernon if they were able to sign Clowney.
From appearances, however, that seems unlikely unless he simply has no other market. He has said that he does not want to sign with a team that he does not believe is capable of winning, and if he hasn’t already signed with the Browns, based on the report that they have given him the best offer, it’s fair to assume he doesn’t believe in their ability.
That’s not entirely unfounded, of course. They entered the 2019 season with high expectations and finished 6-10, which was a worse record than that they had the previous season, when they went 7-8-1, just narrowly coming up short of posting a winning record. They entered the season finale with a 7-7-1 record.
In 75 games played, Clowney has recorded 32 career sacks with 236 tackles, eight forced fumbles, and one interception. With the Seahawks in 2019, he recorded three sacks (his lowest total since playing only four games as a rookie) with 31 tackles (seven for loss), four forced fumbles, and an interception. He also scored two touchdowns and has four career scores.
