Cleveland Browns Free Agent Review: DE Jadeveon Clowney

Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images

This might seem like an exercise in futility, but next up on our list of Browns’ free agents to review is DE Jadeveon Clowney.

How and When He Joined the Browns: After having played with multiple teams, Clowney signed as a free agent with the Browns in 2021. He then re-signed with the Browns for another year in May 2022 for $11 million.

Productivity Level Last Season: After a stellar finish to the 2021 season (in which he had 9 sacks), there were hopes that Clowney could bring that same type of energy in 2022. He only played in 12 games, though, registering 28 combined tackles, 2 sacks, and 3 passes defended. 2 of those defended passes came in Week 1 against Baker Mayfield.

Why Keeping Him Could Make Sense: Like him or not, the Browns do not have a proven player opposite Myles Garrett. You can plug Alex Wright in the starting lineup, but Clowney will get to the quarterback more often.

What the Browns Should Do: Let him go. Clowney had the selfish and unusual interview at the end of last season in which he complained that Myles Garrett was being given more favorable match-ups than he was. If I really want to comb through what I think he meant, then I think it was more of frustration with Joe Woods in general. However, once you make those type of comments, there’s no coming back to the same team. He’s ready to move on and so are the Browns. How Cleveland replaces him remains an issue, but that’s where Andrew Berry will have to find a way...

Let us know below whether or not the team should try to re-sign DE Jadeveon Clowney.