Jadeveon Clowney is one of the very few star Free agents still on the market. And after his reported second visit with the Cleveland Browns that will take place on Monday, we could see Clowney rock the brown and white for the 2021 season.
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The Cleveland Browns shocked the NFL world after they went an impressive 11-5 in 2020. The Browns ended the longest standing streak of any team missing the playoffs and they topped that off with an away playoff win against division rival Steelers. The last time the Browns made the playoffs was back in 2002.
The Browns were great in 2020, but their defence was carried by only a few stars. Thus the team ended the season with only the 17th best defence. But with Jadeveon Clowney in the mix, Skip Bayless believes the Cleveland Browns could go all the way in 2021.
Skip Bayless thinks the Browns could become legit Super Bowl contenders in 2021
DE Myles Garrett was a stud in 2020, scaring opposing offenses week in-week out. But the Browns still ended the season with only the 11th best pass rush in the league. This was because no other player even came close to Garrett’s efficiency.
Garrett finished the 2020 regular season with a 90.0 pass-rushing grade. He ended up with 12 sacks in 14 games, despite getting the Covid-19 virus. But the rest of the team was average at best. Olivier Vernon’s 71.6 pass-rushing grade was the next-highest mark on the defensive line, and Cleveland didn’t have a top-40 pass-rushing grade from any of their interior defenders.
GM Andrew Berry was excellent once again in Free Agency for the Brown. He completely revamped the Browns secondary, signing star safety John Johnson III and CB Troy Hill. He also signed former Falcon’s DE Takk McKinley. But while the DB room looks set for 2021, McKinley is more of a rotational piece and isn’t someone that can help draw lesser attention on Garrett.
How Jadeveon Clowney could help the Browns.
Jadeveon Clowney is a former 3 time pro-bowler and has proven to be a big problem for opposing offences. When healthy, Clowney has often made up for unspectacular sack numbers with imposing size and physicality, especially against the run. His versatility to play both DE and OLB will be a crucial addition for Cleveland.
The No. 1 overall pick back in 2014, Clowney has had a quiet free agent market in back-to-back years, likely in part due to injuries. The former Texans standout hasn’t played a full season since 2017, when he logged a career-high 9.5 sacks, missing three games with the Seahawks in 2019 due to a sports hernia; then missing half of 2020 in Tennessee because of a knee issue.
The Browns will hope to reproduce their regular season success in 2021 and try and make a deep playoff run. Similarly, Clowney will hope to return to his elite level after a few injury ruined seasons. After the Titans him go in free agency, Clowney appears ready to join a Browns team looking to contend in the AFC North once again.
