The Cleveland Browns sent Jadeveon Clowney home on Friday, seemingly putting an end to his tenure with the franchise.
It’s not often a former first overall pick moves around the league as often as Clowney has done. If he does sign with a new team this offseason, it would become his fifth NFL home, the most among former No. 1 draft picks since 2000.
On Thursday, Clowney admitted he didn’t expect to be in Cleveland at the start of next season.
Per Cleveland.com, Clowney told reporters, “Ninety-five percent sure I won’t be back. But there’s still that [five] percent. You never know what can happen.” The Browns may have squashed that five percent chance with Friday’s announcement.
Clowney will be 30 years old by the time next season kicks off and may have something left in the tank after his usage dropped significantly in 2022. Per data from Pro Football Reference, Clowney played on 63 percent of the Browns’ defensive snaps this season, his lowest percentage since he played in 50 percent of the Texans’ defensive snaps during his rookie season.
He was drafted first overall out of South Carolina in the 2014 NFL Draft and spent his first five seasons in Houston from 2014-2018. He spent one season with both the Seahawks (2019) and Titans (2020) before playing in Cleveland for the past two seasons.
Clowney’s most productive season came in 2017, the only season he played a full schedule. That year, he finished with 59 tackles, 9.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and a defensive touchdown.
As hyped as Clowney was out of South Carolina, he’s never quite matched the lofty expectations bestowed upon a first overall draft pick. His most memorable play remains this one from the Outback Bowl against Michigan which just hit its 10-year anniversary on New Year’s Day 2023.
Clowney’s lived off the promise of that play ever since. Maybe he’ll rediscover that magic at his next home.
