The Baltimore Ravens made another free agency splash last week. Looking to bolster their pass rush, the team signed veteran free agent Jadeveon Clowney to a one-year deal. The Ravens are familiar with Clowney after spending the last two years trying to block him when he was a member of the Cleveland Browns.
2022 was a struggle for the former No. 1 overall pick, as he had only 2.0 sacks, four quarterback hits and four tackles for loss in 12 games. In 2021, he was excellent, recording 9.0 sacks with 19 quarterback hits and 11 tackles for loss.
While Clowney hasn’t quite lived up to expectations, he has remained a solid contributor on the defensive front. While his pass-rushing and sack numbers aren’t always there, Clowney remains an elite edge-setter in the run game.
In Baltimore, he will be counted on to provide some veteran leadership to a unit that saw Calais Campbell and Jason Pierre-Paul not return this offseason. Before Clowney was brought on, the Ravens were going to be relying on David Ojabo, Tyus Bowser and Odafe Oweh to lead their pass rush.
Those three players have some upside, but bringing in a more experienced option such as Clowney makes a lot of sense. The well-traveled veteran will be a good source of knowledge for them to learn from while providing some production of his own.
By joining the Ravens, Clowney has also accomplished something that hasn’t been done since 1990. Baltimore is the fifth stop of his career after being drafted by the Houston Texans and playing with the Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans and Browns before the Ravens.
That makes him the first No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft since Jeff George in 1990 to play for at least five different teams in their career. George was selected by the Indianapolis Colts before playing with the Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins.
