CLEVELAND, Ohio — Part of the Browns’ approach this offseason has been the tried and true “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
Or, as Takk McKinley put it after he signed: “They tried to pick me up three times after I got released (last season), and then they also tried to trade for me. I was like the fifth time is going to be the charm.”
The Browns are at it again, this time with another defensive end, Jadeveon Clowney, who visited the team on Wednesday. Clowney is coming off a season in Tennessee where he played in just eight games and failed to register a single sack. He landed with the Titans after the Browns were involved in the sweepstakes to land him.
Evaluating Clowney, however, has always been about looking beyond the sack numbers. He’s never had double-digit sacks in a season during his career and, save for back-to-back seasons in Houston when he had 9.5 and nine sacks, the sack production hasn’t been there.
Clowney, however, has generally been a productive pass rusher. Pro Football Focus has awarded him pass-rush grades in the 70s in four of his last five seasons. According to data from the website, Clowney, in the first seven weeks of the season last year, tied for 15th in the league in total pressures, was 11th in quarterback hits, seventh in hurries and tied for the lead in batted passes.
In 2019, Clowney was seventh in pass rush win rate among edge defenders. Two seasons ago, his last in Houston, he was 18th in pressures, 14th in hurries and 11th in quarterback hits.
So while Clowney might not always bring the quarterback down, he makes an impact.
He has been good against the run, too. PFF ranked him 12th among edge defenders in run stop percentage in 2019 and ninth in 2018. He was their ninth-highest graded edge rusher against the run in 2019 and was second-highest graded edge defender against the run in 2018.
If the Browns determine Clowney will be healthy and back to the player he’s been, it makes sense to bring him in to pair with the McKinley flyer opposite Myles Garrett. It would also set up the possibility of drafting a high-upside edge rusher on Day 2 of the draft — say someone like Payton Turner from Houston — who wouldn’t have to come in and start right away.
I’ve been cautious when the Browns have shown interest in Clowney, making sure I’m judging the player, not just the name. A healthy Clowney could help the Browns.
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