CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns aren’t over edge-rusher Jadeveon Clowney just yet.
They hosted the three-time Pro Bowler on a free agent visit Wednesday at their facility in Berea, but he left late in the afternoon without a contract. A signing isn’t imminent, a league source told cleveland.com, but the Browns will keep Clowney on their short list of rushers to help replace Olivier Vernon opposite Myles Garrett.
They already bolstered the position last week by signing former Falcons first-round pick Takk McKinley to a one-year contract worth $4.25 million.
If the Browns sign Clowney, they’ll pressure the quarterback with bookend former No. 1 overall picks — Garrett in 2017 and Clowney in 2014 by the Texans.
The Browns pursued Clowney, 28, heavily last offseason, but didn’t have a chance to bring him in for a free agent visit because of COVID-19 protocols. This was an opportunity for the two parties to get to know each other and see if it’s a fit.
When Clowney hit the market last offseason as a free agent from the Seahawks, the Browns offered him more money than any other team on a one-year deal, and they were competitive on their multi-year offer.
Clowney (6-5, 255) opted to signed a one-year ‘prove-it’ deal worth $13 million with the Titans, where he was reunited with head coach Mike Vrabel, his former Texans defensive coordinator.
Clowney started eight of the first nine games of last season, and spent the final seven on injured reserve after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus. He didn’t have a sack in his first eight games, but was still disruptive, with six quarterback hits. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the No. 19 edge-rusher last season out of 108 qualifiers, a notch ahead of Vernon, who suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the season finale.
Despite the signing of McKinley, who was cut by the Falcons in November and then not re-signed by the Raiders this offseason, the Browns are still on the lookout for more edge help, whether through free agency, trade or the NFL Draft.
PFF ranked Clowney as their No. 4 free agent edge-rusher this offseason, behind Shaq Barrett, J.J. Watt, Carl Lawson. They estimate his market value at one-year, $13 million. Spotrac.com projected it at one-year, $6.5 million,
“Just like any free agent signing, the key is understanding what a player is bringing to the table,’’ PFF wrote. “Clowney has elite tools, but he’s never been an elite pass-rusher, as he has posted a pass-rushing grade in the 70s in each of the last three years and a 69.6 mark in 2020. The sack totals will fluctuate from year to year, so don’t let that change the narrative: Clowney is a good, not great, pass-rusher.
“He does his best work in the run game, using those elite tools and heavy hands to win at the point of attack. Since entering the league, Clowney is a 95th percentile run defender and a 77th percentile pass-rusher, so his future team should expect similar snap-to-snap production at this point.’’
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