FRISCO — On Wednesday afternoon, under a clear blue sky, Jadeveon Clowney stood outside the running back/quarterback room with pro scout Josh Brent, watching Cowboys practice unfold beneath them.
Nobody knows what the conversation was about, but Clowney’s presence as a free agent pass rusher at The Star spoke loudly.
Clowney visited The Star to take a physical, say hi to a few people and think about playing again. Clowney left late Wednesday afternoon without a contract, but it doesn’t mean the Cowboys can’t secure one in the near future.
“The guy is a really good football player, he’s missed playing the game a little bit,” coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “The film obviously looks good and we’re always in the business of seeing what’s out there and keeping an eye on all good football players. I would say the personal relationship (Seattle in 2019) I have with him and the problems he can create both in the run and the pass is the main reason why he’s here.”
Cowboys
The Cowboys stress their pass rush is fine after recording one sack and five quarterback hits in the season-opening loss to the Eagles.
For the majority of the game, the Cowboys played zone defense and didn’t start blitzing until the second half. Quarterback Jalen Hurts was pressured 11 times in the second half after it happened just three times in the opening 30 minutes.
You can make stats mean anything in sports. Here’s one: 1-4. That’s the record of the Cowboys with Micah Parsons not on the field.
The man Dallas sent to Green Bay for a pair of first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark, had one sack and three quarterback pressures in 30 snaps in Week 1.
The world isn’t ending with Parsons being employed in Green Bay, yet, what’s left of this Cowboys pass rush is under scrutiny.
There isn’t a player that matches what Parsons brings to a team. Few teams employ a player of Parsons’ talent, however, the Cowboys invested three second-round picks on pass rushers in the last two drafts.
The team also re-acquired Dante Fowler in free agency and has an undrafted free agent, James Houston, on the roster as a rising talent.
Signing Clowney, 32, would bring veteran leadership and experience to a pass rush group with an average age of 25.8.
“I think he’d be a great addition to our young core,” guard Tyler Smith said. “I think that experience is invaluable.”
Smith said he spoke with Clowney before practice and noted, “he still has some juice.” The two joked about how big Smith hands are and the Cowboys’ best offensive lineman said he saw a few social media posts of Clowney chasing down receiver CeeDee Lamb when the teams met last season.
And speaking of last season, Clowney played for his sixth NFL team in the Carolina Panthers. In 11 NFL seasons, Clowney, the No. 1 overall pick by Houston, has been named to three Pro Bowls. He’s compiled 58 sacks and 139 quarterback hits.
In 2024, Clowney signed a two-year deal worth $20 million but was let go this spring. Before he signed with the Panthers, the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens expressed interest in his services.
It’s unknown what Clowney is going to do now as the Cowboys continue to look for talent.
“This is something, again, we’ve been monitoring, we deal with every position,” Schottenheimer said. “Again, I feel great about our defensive line depth. But anytime you have a chance to potentially add good football players you kick the tires.”
Last season, the Cowboys recorded 52 sacks, one of three defenses to have 50-plus sacks. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, there have been 13 teams in league history with 50-plus sacks seasons to lose their sack leader the next season. All 13 teams saw their sack totals decrease the next season, averaging 37.5.
The Cowboys can use Clowney not so much to replace Parsons, but to provide more firepower when needed.
“There’s value in being a vet and value in the experience that they have and some of the technique stuff that they’ve learned over the years,” Schottenheimer said. “And it’s funny talking to Jadeveon, I was asking him, ‘Okay what’s your go to move?’ So he was sharing some of his secrets and just to hear these guys that are vets talk about in detail, like the different moves, the swim, the long arm and stuff like that, it’s fascinating.”
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