Please, por favor, don't blow up our comments section on Facebook for this one. Give me a chance! With that out of the way, I think it's fair to say that the Jacskonville Jaguars had several opportunities to address an underwhelming pass rush. During free agency, the only prominent defender general manager James Gladstone brought back was Buster Brown, a defensive back. However, he did take a few swings at defensive end during the draft.
That being said, I don't know how much we should expect from a fourth-rounder who should be on special teams at first and a seventh-rounder who's dealt with red tape and injury issues his entire career.
Ironically enough, it looks like the Jaguars' GM felt the same way. To batten down the hatches and make sure the coaches had a veteran they could rely on, Gladstone reached into the franchise's pockets and . . . extended defensive end Travon Walker after a 3.5 sack season.
Hmm.
Whatever, that's all in the past. Also, Jacksonville's salary cap doesn't exactly give it enough flexibility to make a headline-generating blockbuster of a trade right before training camp.
However, there is an old rival the team could bring in before things start heating up, and the potential of this guy wearing a Jaguars jersey could be one of the hottest storylines of the preseason.
Jadeveon Clowney could give the Jaguars the EDGE3 they need to pick up right where they left off
Hey, don't give me that look. The NFL's official website rated Clowney as the 101st-best free agent in pro football heading into the offseason. Despite being well into the journeyman phase of his career, the former South Carolina Gamecock piled up 8.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss in 13 games as a Dallas Cowboy in 2025. Both of those figures would have led Jacksonville's stat table last year.
Even better, Clowney only cost the Cowboys $3.4 million over the course of his tenure. As a post-June 1st, heck, post-July 1st signing, it's highly likely that James Gladstone would be able to come up with a similar number that fits well within Jacksonville's $8.02 million of cap space.
Looking at the current depth chart, there isn't a lot of room for Clowney in the EDGE group at the moment. However, you almost never get a chance to bring in a player who could have led your team in sacks for less than $5 million. Right before training camp, no less.
From a writer's perspective, this is where things get even more interesting, as Travon Walker's recent extension could be a sign that a younger guy at the back of the lineup is headed to the practice squad, so a veteran signing could provide some consistency.
How would the Jaguars make room for Jadeveon Clowney?
In a recent article projecting who could make the Jaguars' final 53, Sports Illustrated's John Shipley listed Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker, Wesley Williams, Danny Striggow, B.J. Green, and Zach Durfee as the six EDGEs who would make the Day 1 roster. At first glance, Striggow is definitely the player who could be replaced in favor of Clowney if the latter were to have a great camp.
Striggow didn't give much during his rookie year. The soon-to-be 24-year-old only started two games last season and had half a sack. However, his 16 combined tackles and one fumble recovery were solid contributions for someone in his role.
When looking at the EDGE 3 spot, the current lineup essentially asks Hines-Allen to carry the load himself. Walker's lack of production in 2025 could be attributed to injuries and a lack of interior pressure to take the heat off of him and Hines-Allen.
Unfortunately, that line of thought opens the door to question if it's reasonable to expect a dynamic level of play from the former No. 1 overall pick whenever he's banged up. NFL linemen are some of the toughest beings on the planet, so I don't feel comfortable questioning Walker's ability to play hurt or writing him off whenever the interior defensive line's having a bad day.
With that in mind, Hines-Allen and Walker have shown that they, alone, may not be enough to sustain a ferocious pass rush for all 17 games and then some. Sending Danny Striggow to the waiver wire would be a bummer, but Anthony Campanile needs another threat off the edge he can rely on when turning up the heat in the biggest moments.
At the end of the day, this is the price of managing a contender. If you want to run it back, you need to find the best deals possible to plug up your most obvious holes. Landing Jadeveon Clowney at this phase of the offseason would be a steal, and Gladstone needs to grab this opportunity before it slips away.
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