One huge storyline surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason is whether they can find a legitimate No. 3 pass rusher behind Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen. They definitely have a young batch of promising players on the roster. However, not one of them has yet to truly separate himself from the bunch. This is why analysts (guilty as charged) have urged the Jags to consider an external option. The issue is that they have one fewer option after Jadeveon Clowney signed with the Texans.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that Houston has agreed to terms with Clowney. As of this writing, the terms of the deal are unknown, but it's probably a one-year deal with performance-based incentives.
By missing out on Clowley, not only did the Jags pass up the chance to bolster their own pass rush, but they'll also have to deal with him twice a season. That's not great news when you take into account that the former South Carolina Gamecock will round out a group that includes Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson.
The Jaguars will have face Jadeveon Clowney when they play the Texans
The first overall pick in 2014, Jadeveon Clowney started his career with the Texans. He spent five seasons in H-Town before he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2019. After his one-year stint with the Hawks, he played for the Tennessee Titans, the Cleveland Browns, and more recently, the Dallas Cowboys.
While Clowney has had somewhat of a nomadic career, he's been a highly productive pass rusher, registering 66.5 sacks with 16 fumbles in 153 games with 133 starts. Along the way, the Rock Hill, South Carolina native has made the Pro Bowl three times.
What's next for the Jaguars after missing out on Jadeveon Clowney?
You probably won't see Jadeveon Clowney on the list of the top NFL pass rushers anytime soon. Nevertheless, he's a starting-caliber player who could be a pretty good rotation piece on a stacked Texans defensive line. The silver lining is that the Jags plan to run more two-tight-end sets with Nate Boerkircher and Brenton Strange next season. That should help neutralize the Houston front four and other defensive lines.
On the other hand, Jacksonville has one fewer option to bolster its own pass rush with Clowney off the market. While there were several unsigned pass rushers in the aftermath of the NFL draft, most of them have already found homes.
Right now, the best option is probably Von Miller, who remains unsigned but is willing to take on a rotational role. An alternative would be to attempt to trade for either Josh Sweat or T.J. Watt, but apart from absorbing salaries, they would have to compensate their respective teams, and that's probably something general manager James Gladstone may not want to do.
The most likely explanation for passing on Jadeveon Clowney is that the Jaguars are confident that one of their young defensive ends (maybe B.J. Green II?) will step up in training camp. But until it happens, the pass rush rotation will remain a question mark. On top of that, they just watched Clowney sign with the dreaded Texans.
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